


Surreal Moments

by HobNobsandTea, Sinistretoile, TellMeAMarvelousStory



Category: British Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Blow Jobs, Car Sex, Chance Meetings, Cunnilingus, Daddy Tom, Drunk Sex, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Engagement, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Tom, Family!Tom, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Gratuitous Smut, Librarians, Library Sex, Marriage Proposal, Masturbation, Miscarriage, Mutual Masturbation, Normal Life, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Phone Sex, Rough Sex, Sex, Shower Sex, Smut, Teasing, Unplanned Pregnancy, daddy!Tom, fangirling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-06 03:34:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 83,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4206411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HobNobsandTea/pseuds/HobNobsandTea, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinistretoile/pseuds/Sinistretoile, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TellMeAMarvelousStory/pseuds/TellMeAMarvelousStory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom is studying for a role. You see him every day in the library. Most of the other library patrons don't recognize him. But you do. You've done your best not to fangirl over him or even make it obvious you notice him. After a week, you notice him noticing you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tom is studying for a role. You see him every day in the library. Most of the other library patrons don't recognize him. But you do. You've done your best not to fangirl over him or even make it obvious you notice him. After a week, you notice him noticing you. When the two of you finally, interact, you're crouched down, getting a book off the bottom shelf. You stand up, bumping into someone reaching a book above you. "Oh sorry."  
"No, I'm so sorry." You clutch the book to your chest and turn. He smiles. "I'm Tom."  
"I know." He laughs. "I'm (y/n)."  
"I've seen you." He folds the book between his forearm and upper arm. "Would you like to get some coffee?"  
"Sure." Your heart is in your throat.  
"I, um- I get off in an hour," you stutter looking at your watch. Tom smiles and slides his free hand into his pocket. "I can't wait." His voice emanates from him better than any interview video you'd ever watched with him. "I'll just be over there, then." Tom points to an empty chair across the room and you see his book title, The Great Gatsby.   
You nod as he smiles at you again, before taking a step back and toward his spot. How you were ever going to make it through the next hour was beyond you at this point. You dial your babysitter. "Hey, Amy. Can you stay a couple hours extra?"  
"Sure. What's up?"  
"I met a friend at the library and we're going out for coffee."  
"Ohhhhh. Sure, Jason isn't picking me up for another couple hours so we're good."  
"Thank so so much. You have no idea how much."  
She laughs and hangs up. You turn practically into Tom. "Everything alright?"  
"Yea just had to call the sitter."  
"You have children?"  
"Two actually." He casually looks down at your hands. "There's a coffee shop a couple blocks away. We can walk."  
"It's a lovely afternoon. Of course." He waits for to to get your bag then offers you his arm. As you walk toward the shop, Tom speaks up. "So, tell me about yourself...as cliché as that sounds!"  
You both laugh but you respond after a few giggles. "There's not too much to tell, really. I'm a librarian, duh. I've always loved books and reading. I like to do things in the weekends that most people my age find quite boring. Like watch my daughter practice ballet and my son build robots with these little kits his grandfather gets for him. I like a good red wine occasionally... I don't know. I'm quite simple to be honest!" You confess. You begin to feel terribly awkward, walking with a world-class movie star and telling him about how boring your life was.  
He didn't act deterred though. "That sounds wonderful actually! Not boring at all. It sounds like a lovely home for them both. Would you tell me more about them?"  
Being a gentleman, he opens the door for you. "Hey, iced chai latte?"  
"Extra extra large."  
The girl behind the counter smiles. "And you?"  
"Earl Grey with milk and sugar." You pay for the drinks, already having your card out before he reaches for his wallet. He gestures to you with it. "My treat next time."  
Next time? Oh man, this was not happening. How are you freaking keeping calm? This is TOM HIDDLESTON. You lead him to a booth by the window.  
The subject of your kids momentarily forgotten, you settle in across from him. "You've been reading a lot of turn of the century American literature. Is it for a role?"  
"Yes, actually. I'm playing an immigrated American literature professor."  
"Fantastic! I'm doing my dissertation on the psychology of modern American poets, so if you need help with anything, just ask."  
"Wow. Dissertation? What are you going to school for?"  
"I've got two years left on my master's in psychology."  
"Wow. You're absolutely amazing." You blush. "No really. You're a mother, a librarian AND a student. Your husband must be very proud."  
The girl behind the counter brings your teas. "No, no husband." You take a wonderful sip. "Jimmy didn't want kids. He waited until after we had two to decide this. Last I heard, he was up on a crab boat in Alaska." You shrug. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I told you that."  
"No worries. I've heard I'm incredibly easy to talk to."  
"I can believe that." You give him a look. He smiles before taking another sip of his tea. "Tell me about your children. I'd love to hear about them."  
Just thinking about them made you smile. "Well, Jameson is five and Marie is three. Jameson loves all things science and reading and math. And Marie is the pinkest, fluffiest, girliest girl you will ever meet. They are the best things I could ever hope to happen to me...regardless of how much they make me pull my hair out sometimes." You finish with a laugh. You look over at Tom and find him looking at you almost with reverence. It made you a little anxious, so you looked away and into your drink. "They sound absolutely amazing."  
You can't help but smile and look at him again. "They are." You move on to other topics for a while: Tom's family, his latest role as a professor now, your love of travel, before you look at your watch. "Oh my god, I have got to go. I've got to get home! I didn't realize how late it had gotten!" You stand quickly and grab your bag as Tom leaps up from his own seat.  
"Let's go, then, love." You have a momentary lapse in brain activity. Tom Hiddleston just called you 'love'. As you rush out the door with him, you shake your head. There was no way that actually happened, right? That's just what British people called each other, yeah...  
"Amy!" The screen bangs open. The setting sun had the living room on fire. You could hear bubbly pop music blaring from the den. No doubt you'd have a huge mess to clean up after the kids went to bed.  
Tom looks around your living room, finding it spotless despite having two youngsters. Baby pictures and black and white landscape and architectural photography cover the walls. He notices a glass cabinet of thimbles. You drop your purse, latching the screen door behind him. "Amy! I'm so sorry!" He follows you through the house. A dining room table covered in books dominates one room. Two small children explode through a doorway and tackle you.  
"Mommy!" You bend over, giving love and kisses and hugs. When you bend over, your supple rear accidently brushes his hand. You both pretend not to notice. Standing up, you lift Marie up and position her on your hip.  
"You're late."  
"I'm so sorry. We lost track of time."  
Jason helps Amy stand up from the pile of blocks. "You're lucky you're my favorite sister."  
"Shut up, you." He kisses your cheek. "This your friend?"  
Tom takes his hand and shakes it firmly. "Tom."  
"Jason."  
"I'm sorry, mate. I talked her ear off."  
Jason shrugs. "I was just giving her a hard time. You have sisters?"  
"Two. One older, one younger."  
"You know how it is then." They share a manly, brotherly inside joke laugh. You roll your eyes. This was so surreal.   
Jason and Amy leave in a whirlwind of kisses and hugs. You open the fridge and start pulling out items for dinner.  
"Thanks so much for the ride."  
"Not a problem."  
"Would you like to stay for dinner?" The words were out of your mouth before you realized it.  
Jameson runs in holding his Thor reading book. "Mommy. Your friend looks like Loki!" You blush.  
"Well look at that." He kneels. "I do. You're very perceptive."  
He smiles proudly. "That means I notice things."  
"It sure does."  
"Jay, go turn off the music and start picking up your toys."  
"Yes, momma."  
You place the skillet on the stove. "It's nothing special. Just grilled cheese, green beans and pretzels. Marie picked."  
Tom watches you butter bread and open a couple cans of green beans. "I wouldn't want to be an imposition."  
"You're not. But if you need to go, I understand."  
"I actually do need to be going." He looks at his watch. "Skype meeting with the studio."  
You turn and lean your back against the counter. "This afternoon was fun."  
"It was. See you tomorrow?"  
"I'll be there."  
He taps the counter with both hands then let's himself out. You're in a daze as you finish fixing dinner. This whole afternoon was a hallucination. Had to be. Fangirl fantasy gone wild. You smirk to yourself. No, fangirl fantasy gone wild would be fucking him on one of the tables after the library was closed. Shit. Now, you were gonna think about it all night.  
After dinner, you start picking up the playroom, at least attempting to clean up. It never stayed clean for long, though. As you work, Jameson and Marie peek in on you with an expectant look in their eyes. You look up at them and give in. "What is it, babies?"  
Marie speaks up first. "Can we watch the 'For' movie?" She still had trouble pronouncing words correctly, and you wondered if you should speak to someone about it soon. You cross one arm and bring the other hand up to tap your chin. "I don't know, guys...don't you think it's kinda scary?"  
"We promise we won't get scared! We won't!" Jameson begs.  
"Hmm, I don't know, guys."  
Marie chirps. "Please, mommy? Jay said your fwiend wooks wike 'Wo-ki' and I wanna see too."  
You sigh. A little bit before it got too scary couldn't hurt. "Okay, come on." You wave them in and take the DVD down from the shelf. They come running in and jump on the couch, excited. "But only a little bit, okay? Bedtime is in 30 minutes!" They nod at your admission as you set the timer in your phone.   
Settling down beside them, you press play. Marie cuddles into your lap and Jameson hugs your arm. You kiss them both on the tops of their heads. As the movie plays on, the coronation scene starts. Loki comes on screen and Jameson points at the screen. "See look, Marie! That's what mommy's friend looks like!" He exclaims.  
Marie matches his excitement. "It does wook wike him, mommy!"  
You laugh and shake your head. "Do you really think so? I don't think so at all!"  
Marie turns around in your lap and places her small hand in your cheek and points to the TV. "Mommy, wook! He does wook wike him! He's vewy pwetty."  
You wrinkle your nose at her. "Do you think so? I think he looks silly, with those horns and everything."   
You're all interrupted by the chime of the bedtime alarm, and you stop the movie. Jameson and Marie both groan, but know there's no way to protest. You had taught them early on that 'what momma says is the rules', and they hop up from the couch. They both get ready for bed. You tuck Marie in first. "Good night, sweetie, I love you." You hug her.  
"Mommy? Wiw we see your new fwiend again?" You pause. You weren't even a little sure if that would be the case. "Well...maybe one day. You never know what could happen." Hell, it was true. You never thought you'd see Tom Hiddleston in your library. Let alone go get coffee with him.  
Marie's voice draws you from your thoughts. "I hope so. He was vewy nice and hamsome."  
You laugh at her. She was so innocent. "Do you know what handsome means?"  
Marie bites her lip and shakes her head. "No. But you use it a wot, so it's a good word, right?"  
You stand from her bed and kiss her forehead one more time. "Yes, it is a good word. Now go to sleep." You start out the door and turn the light out as Marie calls out, "I wove you, mommy."   
"I love you too, sweetheart."

The day had been warm enough at the start to wear a sundress. You picked the white one with cherries on it and grabbed a red sweater for the chill in the library air conditioning. You wore your matching heels. Shortly after you opened the doors, your regulars came in straggling in. You had story time for the toddlers, followed by the preschoolers. Then the genealogy group came in and took over the common area. Afternoon brought the school age kids. The children's library teemed with activity. You were thankful for the high school part-timers. The common area emptied of the genealogy group and filled with juniors and seniors studying for finals. May was always a busy month.  
By the time you locked the doors, you were exhausted. Your feet had that dull ache that came from being on them all day, in heels no less. Tomorrow, you'd wear your flats or your chucks.  
Your walk home in the pleasant after was barefoot. Maybe you'd set up the pool tomorrow. It was Saturday and the library closed at noon. You and the kids had just gotten new swimsuits.  
The roar of an engine right next to you scares the daylights out of you. You turn to cuss the joy riding teenagers but found Tom. He rolls down the window and leans into the passenger seat.  
"Can I give the most lovely librarian in Harlan County a ride home?" You swallow. He called you lovely. This. Was. Not. Happening. You kept telling yourself that but it was.  
"Uh, sure." He opens the door for you. You slide in to the passenger side for a second time. This time you admire the cream interior and the new car smell mixed with Armani Code and leather. And dirt and sweat.  
You turn to him and laugh at his disheveled appearance. "What happened to you?"  
"Horseback riding." You clear your throat at the mental image that inspires and the dull ache it throbs between your legs. "Mind if I take you out to dinner? To make up for last night."  
"I can't. Amy and Jason have plans. No sitter."  
"No worries. I'll cook for you." You blink. His smile starts to fade when you remember you need to answer.  
"Oh. Right. Sure." You immediately look out the window. Your heart squeezing in your chest. This. Was. Not happening. Yes, we know. Ok, it was but wow, so hard to believe. A dream come true.  
You and Tom practically race through the grocery store, grabbing all the ingredients for the shrimp caprese he decided to make. You only had about 20 minutes before you had to get home, and Jason wouldn't be so forgiving tonight. It was his and Amy's anniversary, and they had made plans weeks ago. You fly through the self-checkout as there was no line and hopp into his car, giggling at the whole scene the two of you must be painting. Tom whips the car out of the parking lot toward your home.  
You come bounding into the house, all bags and apologies. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I know I'm late!!" Jason stands in the living room impatiently. "It's about time, sis. I was getting worried we wouldn't make our reservation time." Amy walks out of the bathroom, having just refreshed her makeup. "There you are! I was getting worried about y-" She stops when she sees Tom walk through the door with the last bag. A very sly smile lights her face as she finishes her sentence, "-you. But I can see you were at least in good hands." Amy raises her eyebrows and mouths to you, 'Again? Nice!'  
You roll your eyes dramatically at her and mouth back 'Go to dinner!' She gives you a look before she steps into the living room to fetch Jason. You hear the two of them as you unpack the food and start to put it away for the time being. You had decided to do dinner after the kids went to bed. It wouldn't be long. Marie had a recital in the morning and Jameson planned to go with his grandfather for some 'guy time'.   
You hear Marie come down the stairs and skip down the hallway to the kitchen. She stops when she sees Tom and smiles wide. She shuffles over to you and hugs your leg. You bend over and pick her up for a hug. "Mommy, the hamsome man came back!"  
"He is, isn't he? You should speak to him, then. Don't be shy."  
Marie leans her head on your chin shyly and whispers to Tom, "Hello."  
He smiles in response and whispers back, "Hello, princess. It's so lovely to meet you."  
You gasp playfully at Marie as she looks at you with wide eyes. "He called you 'princess'. He already knows your name!" She grins at Tom as you laugh. "Where is your brother?"  
"He's up in the playwoom. We were weading."  
"Go get him. We have to go to bed early tonight. Big day tomorrow for you both." You put her back down. You watch her scamper away to get Jameson and spot Tom watching her with a sweet smile.  
"She is a little treasure, isn't she?" Your heart warms to hear anyone speak of your children like that.  
"She is my little princess."  
"Absolutely gorgeous...not unlike her mother."  
Jameson and Marie pick pot pies and cheese for dinner. So that's what you fix after changing into a pair of hip hugging jeans that make your butt look fantastic and a comfy tami top.  
Tom is all legs on the floor with your kids when you come into the den to get them for dinner. Your fangirl heart squeezes. Hell, your mom heart squeezes. He looks up and catches you watching him playing cars with Jameson while Marie shows him her dance. The pictures of him with kids have nothing on seeing him with your kids.  
You clear your throat. "Jay, May may, dinner's ready." They're off like a shot to the kitchen table. Tom unfolds himself, looking so damn tall and yummy. In your den. You feel yourself blush as you immediately think of climbing him like a tree.  
"Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine." You gesture it away with your hands. "I've gotta be honest. This is really weird and surreal."  
He rubs the back of his neck. "I can leave."  
"Oh god. Please don't." You clench your fists at your sides. "It's just-I'm a fan of yours and this is like every fangirl's dream."  
"I'm sorry. You've been so nice to me at the library. And very professional and helpful. I wanted to make it up to you. I hope that's alright."  
"It's fine, Tom. Really." He was just being his usual over nice self. It was reassuring but disappointing at the same time.  
You bathe the kids and put them to bed, reading the Bee Bo Book to Marie and a SpongeBob story to Jameson. The smells wafting from the kitchen are spectacular. You come up behind him and peek over his shoulder. He turns his head and smiles at you.  
"Almost done."  
"Ok." You're momentarily lost in the feel of his back pressed to your front and the way his eyes smile and shine. Tom's smile falters as he seems to be experiencing the same thing. You both turn away and you take a step back. "I'll um...I'll set the table." You break the silence. You turn away from him and reach up for the plates in the cabinet. Tom put the finishing touch in the dish, a last sprinkle of cheese. He carried it over to the table from the stovetop as you set down a trivet. "Oh my god, this looks fantastic, Tom."   
"I hope it tastes as good as it looks. It's my signature dish but I haven't made it in a while." He spoons some out onto your plate first and waits for you to take a bite. You do, and your eyes close in sheer bliss. It's incredible. The man can cook as good as he looks. Tom smiles at you as you open your eyes.   
"This is amazing, Tom."  
He serves himself and takes his seat. You start to tuck in and Tom starts the conversation. "So tell me something about yourself I don't already know."  
"Well, that doesn't narrow the field much, you hardly know me!" You laugh.  
"Tell me something, anything you like."  
"What could you possibly want to know about me?"  
"What's your favorite thing to do each week?"  
You lean back in your chair as you think about your favorite day each week. "Sunday morning. It's the only morning it's entirely peaceful, even for a minute." You set the scene for Tom as he sets his fork down, listening intently. "The kids always sleep late Sunday. So I wake up and watch them sleep for a bit. They're so close and it's fun for them, so most Saturdays they have what they call sleepovers. Usually, Marie falls asleep in Jay's bed because it's bigger. I watch them for a bit and then go down and make coffee. The good stuff, not just any old ground mess. In a French Press. I usually get 30 minutes before they wake up, and I enjoy the absolute hell out of that silence."  
Tom looks at you as you finish. He has the most peaceful expression on his face. "That sounds wonderful, darling."  
"It's quite nice. Just a little chance to think and regroup before the week starts." Did he just call you darling? Oh shit, he did. Again, totally not happening, but totally was. "You make it sound so enticing...I may have to join you next time." Tom winks at you. You feel your face and chest get white-hot as he picks his fork back up. If you made it through this meal alive, it would be a miracle.  
Conversation flows easily. You talk about siblings, his sisters and your brother. Before you knew it, the food had been eaten and you were sipping wine, staring into each other's eyes as you spoke.  
"I wanted to be a writer. Since about eighth grade. I love the written word. I became a librarian so I could get paid to spend all day with books. Is that how you feel about acting?"  
He swallows the mouthful of white wine. "Oh yes. I knew from about middle school/high school on that I wanted to act. Bringing words to life for the enjoyment of others. It's amazing."  
"And you're fantastic at it. The way you just immerse yourself in the character." You feel that little fangirl excitement bubble start to rise. "My favorite role of yours so far has been Hal/Henry. You just bring such passion and fire to the words." You can't help the swoon.  
He blushes just a bit. "It's been my favorite role as well." You glance down at the table, feeling like a gushing schoolgirl. You finish the wine in your glass before standing. Taking the plates, you disappear into the kitchen. "I can help with that."  
"No, you cooked. I'll clean." He refills both your wine glass and his, following you into the kitchen. "I've been curious about something. That is, if you can tell me."  
"I'll do my best."  
You run the water scalding hot, washing the dishes swiftly. "Why are you studying for your role in the middle of nowhere in Middle America? Surely, London had libraries that have the same literature." You move to wash the pans from the stove.  
"Well, that's because we will be filming here."  
You jerk. "You're filming here?"  
"Yes. I really shouldn't divulge this information but I trust you." His presence is a warm, welcome heat at your back. "It's about a series of murders that takes place on a college campus a short driving distance from a small town. My character is one of the prime suspects." His hands appear on the counter on either side of you. "Would you think me too forward if I told you I've been having one Hell of a time keeping my eyes and hands off you?"  
Your breath washes out of you as you turn the water off. You turn, finding him close enough to touch. "Pinch me."  
He blinks. "What?"  
"Just pinch me. Pull my hair. Something. Because I really feel like I'm in a coma somewhere dreaming all this."  
He laughs. "How about I do you one better?" He curls a finger under your chin and lifts your mouth in offering to his. When you don't resist, he looks from your eyes to your lips. His tongue and jaw work the kiss deep and deeper still, drawing you in. You grab the counter to ground yourself, placing a hand on his chest. At the end of the kiss, he bites your bottom lip playfully.  
You slump against the counter. "Oh I'm awake." He watches you quietly as you seem to wrestle with something. You come to the decision to do it. To just act like he's a normal person, not who he really is. You kiss him eagerly, you arms wrapping around his shoulders. He returns the kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist before thinking better of it and lifting you onto the sink.  
His mouth moves down your jaw to your neck, kissing and biting up behind your ear. You close your eyes, leaning in the opposite direction, softly sighing when he hits the right spot. Your fingers comb through his hair repeatedly, tugging at the ends, something you'd fantasized about doing. He kisses down your exposed throat and down between your breasts before kissing the tops of them.  
"Mommy?"  
You both come to a screeching halt. You drop off the counter, pushing Tom away as he steps back. "What's wrong, Jameson?" You walk over to him and start to kneel down but he lifts his arms to be picked up and you comply. "I wet the bed."  
"Oh it's ok, baby." You feel his bottom and he's already changed until clean clothes. "Let's go get you clean sheets. Spider-Man or Batman?"  
"Batman."  
"Ok." You kiss his cheek and feel him for fever. He always wets the bed when he's sick. No fever. "Baby, can you stay here with Tom until I get your bed changed?"  
He seems to notice Tom like he hadn't before. A shy, embarrassed smile takes his little mouth. "Yea." You set him on his feet and go to change the sheets. After shoving the wet ones into the washer, you find Tom in the den on the couch. Jameson has his head tucked into Tom's arm and is flipping through channels, showing Tom how to use the remote.  
"All cleaned up. Back to bed, mister."  
"Night, Tom."  
"Night, buddy." He hugs your waist before going back upstairs to his bedroom and shutting the door. You sit down on the couch next to him, tucking your feet under you.  
"Sorry about that."  
"It's quite alright." He settles his arm around you. The moment broken in the kitchen, you pluck the remote from his hands as you settle into the curve of his body. His hand rubs down your bare arm. You lay your head on his chest. Scrolling through the channels, you come to one of your favorite action movies, Deathrace.  
The movie seems to end much quicker than usual, and it may have had something to do with the location of Tom's hand. His fingers trace little patterns on your upper arm, sending chills through you when he grazed you just right. Occasionally, he reaches up and touch the ends of your hair gently. You were having a very difficult time wrapping your mind around what was happening, or rather, what HAD happened in the kitchen. Tom didn't seem to want to press it, probably to keep you from feeling awkward. As the credits started to roll, you glanced over at him. He was looking at you unabashedly. You could feel the heat rise in your face as Tom brushes a lock of hair behind your ear. "Has anyone ever told you you're an absolute beauty?"  
Now you were really embarrassed. You turn away from him, redder than you'd ever been. "Tom...really, you don't have to say things like that-"  
"Hm, that's where you're wrong because I can't seem to stop myself from saying them." You breathe out a small laugh and bite your lips together. Tom could sense how shy you were getting. "Don't be embarrassed, darling. It might do you good to get  
used to it, as I have a tendency to be honest with the people who are important to me."  
That last part hit you. You were important to him? When did that happen? Did you fall into another universe and not realize it? Tom tilts his head forward and you turn to face him again. A genuine smile spreads across his face. You say the only thing you can think to say, as stupid as it probably sounds. "Thank you."   
"You're welcome, love. Now, if I recall correctly, you have a very busy day tomorrow?" You nod at him. "Then I fear I've kept you up late enough. I believe it's my bedtime."  
"Okay. I'll walk you out this time." You walk toward your front door, Tom very close behind. You can feel him reach his hand out to stroke the small of your back before you get there. As you both reach your foyer, you turn around. He can't take his eyes off you as he reaches up to run his hand through your hair. His other hand wraps around your waist, pulling you close. He cups the back of your head and pulls it back slightly. His lips descend on yours gently. The kiss is slow, sensuous. As if Tom was trying to slowly memorize every little cell of your lips. You breathe him in. You had never been kissed like this before.  
He breaks it tenderly before whispering in your ear, "I had an amazing evening with you. I'd love to do it again before too long."  
Your insides turn to goo. He could have asked you anything in that moment and you would have agreed. You're able to nod after a moment. "Yes, I'd like that."  
Tom places one more soft kiss on your ear before he leans back up and looks into your eyes. "I'll call you tomorrow, all right?" You nod again. You were finding words failed you around him, no matter how many you knew. You slowly reach for the door knob and open the door. Tom just as slowly releases you from his grip and steps out the door. He turns back to you, leaning against the side of the door. "Good night, darling. I'll see you soon."  
"Good night, Tom." He smiles once more and steps off your porch. You shut the door and lock it behind you then press your back against the hard wood and stained glass panel. You couldn't imagine the expression on your face at this point, but you were sure you were grinning like a damn idiot.


	2. Chapter 2

You looked for Tom at the library the next morning, but he didn't show up in the four short hours it was open. Grandpa Davis pulls into the driveway just you got to your front gate.  
"Hey, pretty lady!"  
"Hey, Jack!" You pause and wait for Jimmy's dad to get out of his truck. He hugs you in a fierce bear hug. The two of you walk into the house together. "Look who I found outside!"  
"Papawl!"  
"Well, look at my pretty princess." He picks up Marie and spins her around. "I'll pick her up from the recital. Denise has been planning tonight all week."  
"Did you guys get everything settled with the bank?"  
"Yea, Jimmy's check came just in time. And before I forget, here's yours." He hands you an envelope of cash.  
"Jack, I've told you. You and Denise need it more than I do." You try to hand it back, but he won't take it.  
"And I've told you that my son is going to pay for these kids whether he knows or likes it or not." You've had this argument countless times over the last two years, but you still have it.

The sun shines at its apex. Sweat rolls down your back. The bikini top and shorts offered you some relief, but the Midwestern summer sun was in full effect early this year. The pool just needed water, which should be delivered any time now. You'd mowed the grass, used the weed eater and now, were on your hands and knees pulling weeds from the flower beds.  
"Hello?"  
"Back here!"  
You hear the gate open and close with a wood on metal squeaky protest. "How was the recital?"  
"She did fantastic. I'm so proud of her."  
"Where is she? I got her something."  
"This is their weekend with Jimmy's parents."  
"Oh." You turn around and sit down on the grass. Looking up, Tom has not one but two bouquets. You suddenly feel severely undressed and filthy. "Well, then I guess I'll leave these with you and be on my way."  
"Oh ok." You stand up, brushing off your hands as you lead him into the house. His eyes are an itch in your back. He can't help it.  
When he stepped into the back yard and found you bent over, his thoughts were far from pure. And yes, he'd looked down the delicious cave your breasts made in the bikini top. He is only just a man after all. He needed to adjust himself, but with both hands full, he'd have to suffer the press of the seam of his jeans on his genitals. His eyes drank in your slightly tan, muscular back and the way the denim shorts hugged your ass so perfectly. Did he just whimper?  
You pull two mason jars out of a cabinet. At some silent question, you answer. "Great for sweet tea and moonshine. And flowers." You fill then up halfway. You add the plant food that comes with them and cut off half the length of the stems.  
"She'll love them."  
"Well, the daisies are for Marie, but the roses are for you."  
"Thank you." You look down into the flowers. Jimmy never got you flowers.  
"I better be going."  
"Ok." You come around the counter. "But first." You lean up and kiss his cheek. "For the flowers."  
He looks at you with hunger in his eyes. "You're welcome." His arm wraps around to rest his hand at the small of your back. "I really should get going. Before I -" As he speaks, his mouth gets closer to yours, his hand at your back guiding you closer to him.  
A horn honks in the alley. "That'll be the water for the pool." He lets you go and watches at you bounce down the steps of your back porch. He adjusts his half-erection. Saved from ungentlemanly behavior again. There was something about you that made him forget all propriety.  
You head out to the alley to meet the truck and recognize the driver. "Hi Sam! How are you?"  
"Hey! How are you, doll? Where are those hellions of yours?" Sam joked.  
"Hey now, don't talk trash about my precious hellions," you banter back. Sam played the local jack-of-all-trades in your small town. "How long do you think it'll take today? I got new suits for us last week, and I'm itching to use them."  
Sam scowls a bit, thinking and after a minute guesses, "I'd say about an hour? You just have to wait for all the chemicals to get right. That may take longer than the actual filling." As he explains, you peek around and see Tom standing at the back door. You jerk your head, motioning for him to come join you. He slides the glass door open and carefully saunters toward you. The ache in his jeans hadn't subsided much, seeing you standing there and imagining what you must look like stepping out of that pool after it was filled.   
Tom discreetly slid his hand around your waist and rested it on your back again. And even in the hot sun, you got goosebumps from it. Sam looked up from his task and walked over to the two of you with his hand extended. "Hey, I don't believe I've met you, I'm Sam."  
Tom meets his handshake with equal enthusiasm and introduces himself. "I haven't had the pleasure, I'm Tom. Great to meet you, Sam." His British accent throws Sam off course for a moment. "Wow...how did a Brit end up in Middle America?"  
Tom laughs before answering. "I'm here for a short while, some film work and research."  
"Oh, you're an actor? Cool stuff, man. Well hey, let me know if you ever want to grab a beer. I know a LOT about this town. Grew up here."  
You roll your eyes behind your sunglasses. "Yeah, take it from the resident bullshiter at the bar," you say with a laugh. Sam feigns hurt. "I can't believe you would say that about me. Ater all I've done for you!"  
"Oh you mean, after all you've put me through? Believe it, baby!" You feel Tom's fingers stroking your skin and remember he said he had to go. "I'll be right there if you still need to head out."   
Tom nods and you can feel his eyes burning into you through his own sunglasses. He squeezes his hand on your back again before slowly walking toward the gate again. You rush over to Sam and wrap your hand around his arm. "I didn't know you were seeing anybody, girl. And British? Damn, it's like a dream come true for you."  
"Listen Sam, I'm not really seeing him. I mean, I don't know. Maybe I am. Anyway, listen- do not say anything to Jimmy about this. He gets crazy, you know that."  
Sam wrinkles his brow. "You think I still talk to Jimmy? We may have been friends for a long time, but I can't forgive him for what he did to you and the kids. Walking out like that? That shit's unforgivable, honey. Don't worry, he won't hear a word from me."  
You smile and thank him before walking over to the gate to meet Tom again. "It looks like you have a very relaxing day ahead of you."  
"Yeah, it should be good. It gets kinda lonely though, with no one else to swim with." You bite your lip and see Tom seize for a moment. "So, if you're not doing anything later...you could come by. If you wanted to." God, you felt like you were in high school again. What the hell.  
Tom smiles and drop his head. "I, uh...I might have to do that." He picks his head up and raises his hand to cup your cheek. He pulls you in for a kiss, not unlike the one he left you with the night before. You were left just as breathless. "Maybe I'll see you tonight, then." Tom walks away slowly.  
As he slid into his car and drove away, you hear Sam yell out sarcastically, "Yeah, you're not seeing each other. Okay, I buy that!" You blush crimson as you turn around and yell back, "Just shut up and fill my pool, dork."

You sit at the computer, making notes and typing on the computer. You tuck the pen in the base of your ponytail when the knock on your door comes. You take a sip of wine then get up to answer the door. Tom turns as you open it.  
"Up for that swim?"  
You push open the screen door to let him in. "I just have to test the water." He watches you walk through the house. Music he's never heard before fills the house. He walks through the dining room.  
You come back in. "The pH is acceptable. Do you have a suit?"  
He holds up a pair of trunks. "Just bought some. I'm not interrupting you, am I?"  
"I was just writing." You hurry over and minimize the screen.  
"I'd love to read it."  
Fuck. Fuck. You were SO not letting him read your fan fiction. "Um, actually. . .it's uh-" Are you actually turning your leg in and digging your toes into the carpet like a bashful child? "It's about you."  
"Oh. Really?" A curious light gleams in his crystal blue eyes. "Now, I'd really like to read it."  
"Aw shit."  
"What?"  
"You can't. It's too embarrassing."  
He laughs. "What could be so..." His voice trails off as he sees how much your blushing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." He tips your chin up. "Truly."  
"It's fan fiction." You blurt. "Erotic fantasy fan fiction." He blinks. "See. You can't read it. I'll be too embarrassed. Then you'll be embarrassed and things will be awkward."  
He abruptly kisses you, holding your shoulders before sliding his hands up to hold your face. "You're absolutely adorable. I won't read it, but I'd like to some day." Jesus jumped up Christ, he's going to give you a heart attack.  
"The pool's ready. I just need to change into a suit. You can use the downstairs bathroom to change." You take a step back then another then another before you turn around and practically run upstairs to change into your tankini.  
You perform the quickest bathing suit change you've ever done, double checking you were actually all the way IN the suit. The last thing you wanted was to come down and your boobs were falling out. Like you weren't embarrassed enough. You come back down the stairs in time to see Tom come out of the bathroom all changed. God, what a sight that was. He looked like he was in "Adam" shape from Only Lovers Left Alive. You bite the inside of your cheek to focus on not falling down the stairs. Apparently, you have the same effect on him. He devours you with his eyes as you glide down the last few steps. He tries to be discreet while licking his lips, but you catch him. You come to a stop in front of him. It seems both of you needed a minute to swallow and find words. You finally ask, "Can I get you anything to drink?"  
He responds with a whisper at first, then finds his voice. "Yes...yes, thank you." You step back into the kitchen and reach high for the cabinet above the fridge. Your tankini comes up and exposes the skin on your side. Before you can reach down to cover it back up, Tom's fingers slide across it but withdraw quickly. You can tell he's trying to be a gentleman, no matter how badly he was failing so far.   
His eyebrows go up in a happy surprise as he recognizes the bottle you pull down. "Jameson? A girl after my own heart, it seems."  
You smile a little. "I have to admit, it's one of my favorites."  
"Really? You don't hear that every day."  
"Well, Irish girl, Irish whiskey. Have you ever had an Irish Mule?"  
Tom shakes his head. "No, I can't say that I have."  
You reach into the fridge and pull out a ginger beer and a lime and set them on the counter. "Then you're in for a treat."  
You start to mix the drinks, and Tom takes a seat at the bar watching. "So, is that why your son's name is Jameson? Because of the drink?"  
You pull a guilty face. "Technically? No. It's a tradition in their dad's family that the first-born son be called 'Jimmy'. My ex was very insistent. I was also very insistent that I was the one who carried him and gave birth to him that we name him something *I* liked as well. So, we decided on Jameson because we both liked it, and we'd call him Jimmy. But...the drink was a big source of inspiration for me." Tom laughs at you as you blush a bit. "And if you ever tell my son he's named after an alcohol brand, I'll deny it til the day I die!" You laugh yourself, you can't help it.  
Tom calms down from his own laughing fit after a few minutes. "What about Marie? Where did that name come from?"  
You smile. "Marie has been a little princess from the moment she was born. She was fussy and everything had to be just so to make her happy. I didn't have a name when she was born. The next day it just came to me. She reminded me of Marie Antoinette, so Marie it was." You look up from cutting the lime to see Tom smiling at you. If it were anyone else, it probably would have been unnerving. But something about it made you relaxed. This man had to have superpowers or something. There was no other explanation. You pop the limes down into the drinks and slide a mason jar over to Tom. "Come on, let's enjoy these outside."  
You drop down on the edge of the deck that Sam helped you move into place before he left. Your feet make a small splash in the water. You sip the drink, twitching your lips at the initial taste. Tom sits down next to you.  
"Tell me more about you. As a fan, I'm sure you know loads about me."  
You bring the glass to your lips. "There's not much to tell. My mom and daddy live out by the exit to the interstate. He's a farmer. She's a waitress here in town." You take a long draw off the drink, feeling it warm you and loosen your tongue. "I was a wild child though. Jason -you met my brother- he was the good kid. Terrible grades but a good kid. Never did anything wrong or at least never got caught." You look at him. "What do you think?" You nod at the mason jar in his hand.  
He immediately takes a drink. "It's different. But I much prefer my Jameson neat or with water."  
You shrug. "It's not for everyone."  
His hand drops to your knee and gives a squeeze. "Go on." Your attention focuses on that hand until he takes notice and moves it, getting the wrong impression by your sudden distraction. "Where was I? Oh. Yes. Jason good kid. Me wild child. I drank and smoked, smoked weed, got into fights in school. That's how I met Jimmy. In detention. He was two years ahead of me. A gorgeous bad boy but dumber than a box of rocks."  
Tom watches you, a half smile on his lips, taking a drink every once in awhile. "So you're a bad girl gone straight."  
You grin behind the rim of the glass, teeth taking the edge then pressing your tongue to the lid grooves. "Oh Thomas, I'm still a bad girl. I just don't get caught."  
Something about the way you say his name just goes through him. Or maybe it's the playful sparkle in your eyes. Or that he's imagining your teeth and tongue on parts of his body. He sets his glass down, watching you intently.  
"Jimmy and I were pretty intense. High school love. Bad boy and country wild child. Graduation came and neither of us had any idea what we were doing with our lives." You hold the jar with both hands, resting it on your knees. "My dad's heart attack changed me. He had what they call the widow maker. Only 1 in 5 survive. I don't know. I just couldn't let my daddy go into the grave thinking I was a failure. I straightened up my act. Got into community college then transferred to the university when I'd completed my associate degree. I was in my third year of my bacholers when I found out I was pregnant with Jameson. I took a year off so I could concentrate on being a good mom. Jimmy didn't get it though. He hung around for another year but when I came up pregnant with Marie, he cut and ran." You take a long drink.  
"Does he ever see the children?"  
"No. Doesn't want to. He only visits his parents once or twice a year." You set your glass down and laugh. "Last time he came home, I was seeing a farmer from the next town over. Got into a bar brawl over it. Stupid. I guess he'll always see me as his even if he doesn't want me anymore."  
Tom sees his chance and pulls you both into the water. You cry out surprised but come up laughing. "Well, what if I want you now?"  
You wipe the water from your face, both of you bobbing, proposefully not letting your feet touch. "Oh you can have me, Mr. Hiddleston. Unashamedly, whatever you want."  
He laughs, throwing his head back. My god, his neck is gorgeous in the moonlight with water dripping down. The desire to kiss and lick the water trails is sudden and fierce. Your face flushes from drink and excitement. "I'll remember you said that."  
The two of you move closer together. "Why do you want me? I'm just a small town librarian with two small children."  
He touches the side of your hair. "You're strong and confident. I watched you help so many different people at the library. You nearly always had a smile on your face. You're beautiful, stunning actually." His hand moves to the back of your neck and base of your skull. "And you make me want to do very bad things to you." His knee comes up between your legs. You whimper involuntarily when his mouth takes yours. You wrap your arms around his shoulder, sliding down his thigh, his other arm wraps around your waist.  
Just before you throw all your caution to the wind, you pull away from the kiss. "No, not here...the neighbors, they'll hear." Tom looks at you. "I, uh...I get a little loud sometimes."  
His eyes widen and darken with lust. "Oh, you just keep getting better and better, darling." He grabs you by the waist and all but throws you onto the edge of the pool. You stand as he pushes himself out with ease. Those damn triceps would kill you if you let them, and you just might tonight. You both scramble to the door. Before you can get to it, Tom grabs you and pulls you in for a long, deep kiss. His tongue traces your full lips, and you part them for him. He slides in and begins to taste every corner of your mouth. You do the same and your fingers slide up into his hair. Part of you still thinks there's no way this moment is happening, but no dream could be this good.   
In a swift motion, he bends down and grabs the back of your thighs and lifts you up. You wrap your legs around him as he carries you into the house. He breaks the kiss so that he can see where he's going, so you move on to the rest of his body you can reach. His neck, his ears, the curve where his shoulder meets, the hollow of his throat. Every crevice and patch of skin is kissed or licked. You can feel him growing against the bottom of your thigh as he walks up the stairs to your bedroom. He uses your back to push the door open all the way and falls on top of you when he reaches the bed. Now, it's his turn.   
He starts kneading the flesh on the back of your legs and moves his lips to your neck. You moan at the feel of his hands roaming over you. He commands, his voice full of lust, "Let me hear just how loud you can be, love." It's all you need to raise your voice and give him exactly what he wants. He sits you up and pulls your wet tank off and attacks your breasts. Every little whimper and moan you can make comes streaking out of you. "Oh my god, Tom, don't stop, please!" He teases your nipples, licking and sucking, alternating between hard and soft sensations. This alone could push you over the edge. You feel his fingers slide between your hips and suit bottoms. You pick your hips up off the mattress to help him take them off. Your head lolls back as you feel his hot breath in between your legs and you cry out. Tom nuzzles his nose against your clit and you squeal. "Hmm, darling, you weren't kidding, were you? You are incapable of being quiet, aren't you?"   
You can only whimper in response. Tom keeps up his ministrations, adding a long finger every few seconds to tease your entrance. You'd fallen flat back onto the bed now and you writhe against him, desperate for more. You can feel yourself climbing higher and higher. Suddenly, Tom stops. He withdraws his fingers and you feel the mattress sink as he climbs on top of you. You whine at the lack of his touch. You hear him laugh evilly. But your tune changes as you feel him brush the head of his massive cock against you. "Oh my god, Tom," you breathe as you reach up and grab his biceps. You look up into his eyes and they are wide with desire.  
"Let me hear you sing, little bird," he growls as he sinks himself inside you. You could swear you almost passed out. The sound that emanates from you is hardly human. Tom uses it as fuel to start moving inside you. He begins to thrust and you realize just how true the rumors were. He's massive. His cock stretches you more than you could ever imagine and it feels amazing. His pelvic bone rubs your clit just so and you know you are close. You can't control how loud you were getting, and you keen and moan and cry out as Tom ruts hard against you. It isn't long before you feel his cock twitch inside you. Tom dips his head to kiss your neck. As his teeth graze the sensitive flesh, you scream and find your release. Tom finds his immediately after yours and groans against your shoulder. You buck your hips against him as you ride it out. After a moment, you still.   
Both of you desperately trying to catch your breath, Tom lays his head on your chest. You lift your hand to run your fingers through his hair as he plants little kisses where he could reach. After a moment, Tom says softly, "That was better than any other swim I've ever taken."

You sit on your back porch swing in a tee shirt and underwear, both your hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee. You watch the sun rise over the tree tops. It all felt so surreal. Like a dream. You drop a foot to the porch to give yourself a push. No wonder they called him the life ruiner. No way you could ever be with another man and not compare him to Tom.  
Tom rolls over in the bed, stretching and yawning. He leans up on his elbows once he realizes you're missing. Then he remembers what you told him about Sunday mornings. He pulls on his jeans but leaves his shirt off. He didn't want to give the impression that he was going to run out first thing. Yawning and scratching the back of his head, he pads barefoot down the stairs. The smell of coffee absolutely intoxicating. He pours some in a cup you've had the wherewithal to set out for him. He doctors it up then joins you on the porch.  
"Morning, beautiful."  
You smile up at him. "Morning." He walks past you then nudges you to move so that he may sit behind you and have you lean on him. Which is just what he does.  
You lean your head on his shoulder. "Are you ok? I wasn't too terribly rough, was I?"  
Somehow talking about this in the light of day makes you blush. "I'm a little sore but I'll be fine. How's the back?"  
"Stingy. You're a wild cat." You laugh and start to pull away and turn around but his arm wraps around you.  
"Well Mr. Hiddleston. I've finally found your imperfection."  
"What's that, love?"  
You turn your face up to his, seeing the sudden flash of worry. That he might have done something wrong. "When you are positively sated, you snore like a chainsaw."  
His laugh brings a smile to your face. "I had an excellent lover to wear me out." He leans in and kisses you thoroughly. You open your eyes at the end, disbelieving this is happening. He nuzzles your nose with his just before he leans back up. "I'd like to spend the day with you today. If that's alright."  
"The kids will be back this afternoon."  
"Them too. I have to pop back to London tomorrow and I'll be gone for a few days."  
"Oh ok." You apparently fail at keeping the disappointment out of your tone.  
"I'm auditioning for a role, darling. I'll be back by Friday."  
You swallow that down then put on a smile. A couple days together and one night together didn't make him yours. "So what do you want to do?"  
"Whatever it is you had planned today. Just figure me in."  
"I'm afraid you're in for a very boring, suburban surprise. I had only planned to do some laundry and pick up some groceries."  
Tom nods, taking a sip of his coffee. "Sounds fine. As long as I'm with you." You start to believe what's going on around you, even if it was just a little bit. You both finish your coffee in a peaceful silence, just enjoying the feel of his chest pressed against your back and his arm around your waist. You consider it light torture when you had to get up. 

With the last of the laundry done and new sheets on everyone's bed, you and Tom made your way to the grocery store. Every Sunday you made sure you cooked something special, that you wouldn't necessarily have the time for through the week. Tonight was chicken parmesan, one of Jameson's favorites. You stood in the aisle, double-checking your list to make sure you had everything when Tom slides up behind you quietly. He slides one hand around your waist and in the other, held up your favorite bottle of red wine. "For us."  
"How did you know this was my favorite?"  
"Hmm, lucky guess?" He laughs but sees your smirk. "I saw an almost empty bottle in your fridge this morning and thought you could use a refresher."  
You take the bottle from him and place it gingerly in the cart. "Thank you, that's very sweet." He leans down to give you a kiss. Not only was he fantastic in bed, but he was thoughtful and romantic. As Tom pulled back gently, you smile.   
"Hey, Boots, what's up?!" You hear a familiar voice from the other end of the aisle. It sends chills down your spine. The man it belongs to is David, one of Jimmy's best friends. This could not be good. He approaches you and Tom like you were old friends, and you did everything but move behind Tom to create some distance.  
David had been instrumental in convincing Jimmy to leave, you thought, and could never forgive him for it. David was convinced he had nothing to do with it and was just as shocked as you were. But you didn't buy it. As shocked as he claimed to be, he was still friends with Jimmy.  
You stiffen and Tom senses it. He places his other hand on your shoulder. "Hi David."  
"It's good to see you. It's been a while! How are the kids?" David pays no mind to your body language.  
"They're fine."  
"Oh, that's wonderful. I'm glad to hear that!" David paused and looked Tom up and down. "Hey, you must be new in town. I'm David, good to met you, bro." Tom complies with absolutely zero manners and only nods a short "Hello" to David. David nods back with a stupid grin on his face. The longer he stands there, the higher your pulse goes. Fortunately, it didn't last much longer. "All right, I gotta run, but it was good seeing you and meeting you. What was your name again?"  
"Tom."  
"Right, right. Anyway, I'll see you later. Tell the kids I said hey!" With that, David walks away and you finally feel like you're able to breathe again. Tom turns you around gently and pushes the hair out of your face. It was very plain to see you were upset.   
"Who was that? Why are you so upset, sweetheart?"   
You take a deep breath to steel your nerves before answering. "That was David. He's still one of Jimmy's best friends. He's also the one that told Jimmy I was seeing somebody, and that's why he came back in the first place." You swallow hard. You could already see it- David was going to call Jimmy and tell him about who was with you, Jimmy was going to come back into town and instead of Tom, he would find you and the kids at home alone. The thought made you shudder to your very bones.


	3. Chapter 3

Denise comes with Jack to drop the kids off. She sizes him up. "She's like a daughter to us. Jack is the gentleman and I'm the mean old lady, so I'll say this. If you're playing with her, people disappear in cornfields every year. You'll be ours."  
Tom beams at her. "My intentions are genuine I assure you." Hugs and kisses are exchanged before the grandparents leave.

You sit cross legged on your computer chair. Feeling eyes on you, you glance up from your dissertation to see Tom reading his script, folded on the love seat in your dining room/office. He's wearing glasses and track pants and a Loki tee. You smile, that fangirl bubble swelling in your chest before you look away. This was so surreal. Sometimes you just couldn't believe it.  
Tom looks up from his script. You'd almost caught him gazing at you. He loved the way you chewed on your pen and had one tucked into your ponytail. The way your cami gaped at the front and teased him with glimpses of your cleavage. The way your lightly tan legs made a cave. He shifts on the love seat, thankful for the loose pants.  
After dinner, he'd gone to his hotel room and picked up his luggage. He wanted to wake up with you then leave for the airport. This was definitely out of character for him. But you had him hooked. By the time he'd gotten back, the kids were already in bed.  
He lays the script aside and takes off his glasses. Without a word, he crosses the room and kneels before you.  
"Tom?"  
His lips makes a trail of kisses from your knee up your thigh. At his urging, you unfold your legs. He throws one over the arm of the computer chair. "Tom."  
"Hush. Or I'll before forced to gag you with your top." He presses his face into the soft material of your shorts. You squeak and pull back but he grabs your hips and jerks them forward. He mouths you through the shorts.  
"Jesus. Fuck." He chuckles against you. "Oh god, don't do that."  
"You like that, do you?"  
"Yes. Too much."  
"I wonder if I can make you cum without getting in your pants."  
"Oh Tom don't." You sigh as he presses his mouth into you. Your fingers comb through his hair, clenching when he brushes his teeth against your nub. "Oh Fuck."  
"Be patient. It'll come to that." Your moans get louder the more he moves his mouth against you. "You're going to wake the children." He covers your mouth with his hand. Your hips buck forward as devours your soaked shorts. "Cum for me, pet."  
"Oh Christ, Tom." Your breath leaves and your body shakes as he brings you over, sucking your clit through the shorts.

You wake up the next morning with Tom holding you close to him. He had wrapped his arm around you at some point in the night, and you held tight to his shirt. You made sure to set the "easy" wake up alarm, with light piano instead of an ungodly buzzer. You slip out of his arms careful not to wake him, and go to wake up Jameson and Marie.  
Fortunately, you'd been blessed with morning children and they were easy to get up and ready. As they're brushing their teeth, Tom shuffles out of your bedroom and follows the sound of the water. He's still bleary-eyed when he finds you. "Good morning, my dear." He pulls you in for a kiss. You can't help but blush and giggle a bit. Oh god, you just giggled, really?   
"Good morning to you." He bends over to give both Marie and Jameson little kisses of their own and your mom heart swells again.   
"I'm just gonna hop in the shower quickly if that's all right."   
You nod. "Yeah, that's fine. We'll be downstairs with breakfast." He kisses your forehead and shuffles back into your bedroom to get ready.  
Twenty minutes later, Tom makes his way down to the kitchen where you have a fresh coffee waiting for him. He's much more awake than he was last you saw, all clean-shaven and smelling amazing. The kids are at the table tucking into cereal bowls. You stand at the sink just relaxing as much as possible before your day kicks into high gear. Tom comes toward you with a smile and leans over to kiss your cheek before pouring the coffee into his cup.  
You both hear Marie giggle. "Heeheehee....he kissed mommy," she whispered loudly to Jameson.  
He turned up his nose. "Yuck! Kissing is gross, even if it is with mommy!"  
"Nuh-uh! It's wo-manic. Not yucky!" You and Tom laugh out loud at the exchange, and he leans over again.  
"Romantic or yucky, either way I'm finding myself wanting to do it more and more," he whispers in your ear. You get chills and bite your lip.  
"Don't get me started, Mr Hiddleston." You lean over the island to tell Marie and Jameson what's about to happen. "Guys, I need you to listen. Tom is about to go away for a couple days. He's going to London."  
"I know where that is!" Jameson chimes in. "It's where the queen and all the princesses live, and they have big red buses and guards with funny hats!"  
Tom grins and squats down next to Jameson's chair. "That's right. You're so smart!" Jameson beams at Tom.   
But Marie looks crestfallen. "You mean...you're going far away?"   
Tom immediately pops back up to kneel beside her chair. "Oh, my princess, I am. But only for a few days. I'll be right back here. I promise." You watch and your heart clenches as Tom takes a long finger and sweeps her dark hair out of her fallen face. His own expression has fallen at seeing hers.  
"Why do you hafta go, Tom?"  
"Well, I have to go and tell all the other princesses that I've found another beautiful little one to join their ranks one day, to tell them all about you. So look," he says, pulling out his phone and opening the calendar, "today is Monday, yes? I'll be back on this day, Friday. I promise, sweetheart." Marie nodded and smiled again at him.  
It's almost all you can take and you swallow back the lump forming in your throat. Screw the celebrity part of him, just the way he was with your babies was enough to get you. Tom stands from his spot and walks back over to you. "Are you all right?"  
"I'm fine." I'm biting the inside of my cheek to keep from crying but I'm fine, you think.  
"Okay. I have to get going. I really can't miss this flight." You nod as he finishes the last of the coffee and you start to walk him out. At the door, he cups your face and plants you with a long deep, lingering kiss.  
"Will you, um...will you let me know you make it all right? I just, I worry. Can't help it."  
Tom smiles at you. "You are painfully adorable. Of course, I will. I have a layover in New York then I land at Heathrow at 8pm, I think. I'll call you both times." You nod and bite your lip again. "Don't bite that lip off before I get back. I rather like it."  
You blush and Tom kisses you one more time before slowly walking out the door and to his car. As you watched him drive away, you hope it would be a busy week at work so the days would pass quickly.

As expected, Jimmy's phone call came on Wednesday. After the kids had gone to bed. You sigh and pause your movie. "Hello."  
"Hey. How's the family?"  
"Perfectly fine. What do you want?"  
"David said he saw you with a guy at the grocery store. What's going on?"  
You press the bridge of your nose. Of course. "Yes. He did. I'm seeing someone. And there's nothing you can do about it."  
"I just want to make sure he's alright around the kids. There's a lot of weirdos out there."  
"Jimmy, he's fine around my children. I have no worries there."  
"Our kids."  
You sit forward, fists clenching. "Oh no. No. No. No. No. No. No. MY KIDS. They haven't been our kids since before Marie was born. When you left me six months pregnant."  
"I'm coming home."  
"No. You're not. Jack and Denise need the money you give them. You cannot do that to them. Not because you're jealous that I'm moving on."  
"Like with Clay?"  
"Clay was all your fault. Clay was good for us."  
"Baby. You know you miss me."  
"No. I don't. And don't even get me started on that little tart YOU brought home last time you showed your face in this town. We. Are. Done." Your tone shifts darker and full of hate. Every tear Jameson had cried after his father abandoned him dripped from your words like acid. "Jamestown Nathaniel, you are not welcome in MY home. If you come anywhere near me or MY kids, you'll find my 12 gauge shotgun in your cock sucker. Do you understand? Don't fucking come here." You hang up, shaking with rage. How dare he. How fucking dare he. You might have mellowed from high school, but you weren't a push over. And if he showed up, he'd find out exactly how serious you were about that threat.  
You turn the movie off and throw the remote to the other end of the couch.  
A run. You'd go for a run. Quickly changing your clothes, you thud down the basement steps. Flipping on music, you warm up with a walk then flow into a run. Everything leaves you, flowing down your feet, freeing you with each step. When the distance reads 3 1/2 miles, you call it quits.  
Your phone vibrates. You and Tom had been texting nearly nonstop since he landed. 'Are the little ones in bed?'  
'It's after 10, honey.'  
'Oh right.' A second message buzzes. 'So what are you wearing?'  
You laugh sounds loud in the empty house. 'Right this moment? Just a pair of panties.'  
'?'  
'Was getting ready to take a shower'  
'God, I wish I could join you.' Another second message before you can respond to the first. 'Show me.'  
You giggle and carefully angle your camera down the center of your body. Holding the phone between your breasts, the shot shows your bare stomach, your thighs and a triangle of lacey, rose print satin. You bite your lip and send the picture then hurry up and jump in the shower.  
His response is a picture of his erection through his sleep pants. 'See what you do to me, darling? Half a world away and I still want to do bad things to you.'  
Your breath catches, feeling a spiral of desire in your belly. 'It's 3 a.m. there. What are you doing up?'  
'Besides the obvious?' You giggle. 'Just got in. Some old friends and I went out on the town.'  
'Have fun?' You pull on clean panties and the flimsy tee he'd left there. You could still smell him on it.  
'Yes but I'd have loved for you to be with me.'  
'You should go to bed.'  
'I am in bed. Didn't you see? Should I take another picture?' This time it was a selfie. His fluffy hair was pushed up by the pillow. His face was flushed and his eyes sparkled. Your breath caught. Surreal moment.  
'Then go to sleep.'  
'With that monster? Oh no.'  
'Take care of it then. You're a big boy.'  
'Lol. Can I call you?'  
You glance at the clock. 'It's almost midnight.'  
'And?'  
'And if you call me, I'll be forced to hear your sleepy voice and I'll want to touch myself knowing you're hard.'  
'Let me call you.'  
You want to hear his voice. Desperately. But he's drunk and now you're both horny. This couldn't end well.  
'Tom. Go to bed.'  
You imagine him pouting and flopping back on the bed. 'Yes, darling. But you better find a sitter for Friday.'  
'Why's that?'  
'Because I'm going to fuck you until you lose your voice screaming my name.'  
'Shit.'  
'Ta, love.' You stare at your phone, disbelieving. Great. Now you wouldn't be able to sleep.  
After almost half an hour of tossing turning, trying desperately to ignore the ache between your legs, you push the covers back. You hardly believe you were about to do this. Not that you hadn't brought yourself over the edge over him before, but personally receiving a picture of Tom's huge erection as "personal time" fodder was new. So was wearing his shirt while doing it. Those two factors alone would certainly add another level to it. You reach over to your nightstand and pull out your vibrator. You lay it on the bed in between your legs, and bring your hands up to your neck. You always like to start there.   
Taking gentle breaths, you begin stroking the backs of your fingers up and down and across, tracing small patterns on your collarbone. You shiver as your nails brush the thin skin there. The scent from Tom's t shirt drifts up with every little move you made. You can already tell you're beyond ready, but you want to enjoy it for a moment and take your time.  
Your hands slide down your chest over the shirt and cup your breasts. You take a nipple in between your fingers and pinch it gently. You can't help the moan that escapes your lips. As you tease yourself, you think about Tom and what he might be doing himself on the other side of the ocean. The thought spurs you on. One hand stays at your breast playing, while the other travels even further down.   
You feel the heat coming off your pussy. You feather your middle finger down your slit just enjoying how wet you were. You buck your hips at the sensation. Initial touches always surprise you, even from yourself. You do your best to control your moans, but a few sneak their way out. After a few more teases, you pick up the vibrator and turn it on low to begin. You take the tip and circle your clit, drawing it further out from under its hood.  
Gasping, you turn it up a bit more. You know it wouldn't be long now. Your mouth opened in a long silent moan as you slide the vibrator into your folds and arch your back. This is nothing like Tom, but it still feels amazing. As you slide it in and out of you, you turn it up until you feel it flick your favorite spot. Your walls tighten around the vibe and you start driving it faster and faster. Your free hand opened your phone to look for the picture Tom had just sent. It was right there waiting: his flushed face and bedhead and his display of need for you. The sight of it and the thought of his promise when he came back sends you over the edge. You cum almost violently, throwing your head back and reaching up to grip your pillow. Your back arches and your hips flex back, gently pushing the vibrator out of you. You feel it fall under your thigh as you come down from your high.   
Catching your breath, you reach down to turn it off. At this point, you're completely spent and exhausted. You tuck the vibe into its little bag and in your drawer. You would have to clean it later. Right now, you can't hold your eyes open another second, and you fall into a comfortable, happy sleep.

Nina sits at your kitchen table, drinking her third cup of coffee. "I can't believe you're seeing the guy that plays Loki."  
You glance at the clock. "You've said that several times. He's supposed to be here any time. His flight landed an hour and a half ago and he had to drive back."  
"Why didn't you pick him up?"  
"He didn't ask me to." Jameson and Marie run through the kitchen, screaming like banshees.  
"Mommy! Tom's here!" You touch your skirt to make sure it lays just right and that your blue blouse shows the right amount if cleavage. You touch your hair as you go to unlock the screen door. Tom peeks around a bouquet of bursting roses.  
"Hello, darling."  
You flick the lock and he steps in, taking over the entryway with his presence. "Hey you." He wraps his free arm around you and kisses you thoroughly. You feel it in your toes and your heart flutters in your chest. When he breaks the kiss, he rests his forehead on yours. "I missed you."  
"Like crazy."  
"Shit." You look over your shoulder.  
"Tom, this is my best friend, Nina. Nina, meet Tom."  
He kisses your temple before letting you go. "A pleasure." He takes her hand and kisses the knuckles.  
"I wish Wade kissed me like that."  
He looks confused. "Wade is her husband."  
"Married five years."  
Tom isn't quite sure what to say, so he turns as hands you the roses. "For my beautiful darling." He starts to kiss you again, but the kids latch onto his long legs.  
"Tom!"  
"Hey munchkins!"  
He walks awkardly to the couch before dropping down. Marie climbs up. "Did the rest of cincesses yike me?"  
"They were very happy to hear I'd found a Midwestern princess." Jameson flops down next to him. "I got you all something, but I left it back at my hotel. I'll bring it by tomorrow." The cheer that went up made you smile.  
Nine looks from you and your happy smile to Tom and your babies. "He's pretty great with them."  
"Oh yea. They adore him."  
"They're not the only ones." Nina grabs her purse. "Come on, rug rats. Uncle Wade has burgers on the grill."  
"Aw, can't we stay?"  
"Nope. You promised me a sleep over. I've come to collect."  
Jameson jumps up and gives you a hug, crashing out the front door.  
Marie places her hands on either side of Tom's face. "I yike you."  
His chest hitches. "I like you as well, Marie." He tips her head down and kisses her forehead. She beams at Tom then jumps up and follows get brother.  
"Hey don't turn the radio on! I've gotta go. Just call me when you get up. Wade has first shift in the morning, so the kiddos and I will probably stay up late and sleep in."  
"Thanks again, Nina." You shut the front door behind her and lean against it. Your heart is beating a mile a minute. One of those surreal moments takes you as Tom steps out into the entryway.  
"Dinner?" You bite your lip and nod. "Let's go out."  
"Ok."  
"Because if we stay here, we won't be eating." He presses you lightly against the door. "Well, you won't anyway."  
"Fuck."  
He grins. "Later. For now, let's go it to dinner."

You had picked a little out-of-the-way place in town the night before. You figured Tom would want a little exclusivity, if only to keep prying eyes out of view as mush as possible. On the way there, Tom makes every effort to keep some sort of contact with you. He keeps his hand on your knee and thigh as much as possible. It makes it difficult to focus, that much was sure.  
You catch him glancing at you a few times. "If you don't keep your eyes on the road, we'll never get there safely."   
The two of you are seated in a small corner away from most of the other tables at the small Italian bistro. After the server takes your orders and menus, Tom's hand returns to your knee. The round table was small enough that you were practically sitting next to each other, just how you liked it. His fingertips lightly brush over the sensitive skin on the inside, sending chills through you. "How was London? Did the audition go well?"  
"London was wonderful, like always. The audition, I'm not so sure. I don't think I was really what they were looking for."  
You wrinkle your brow. "How come?"  
"Something about the part just didn't fit. I couldn't put my finger on it. But it doesn't matter. I have plenty to keep me busy right here for a while." He winks at you at that last part and you smile coyly.  
"Well...I'm glad you're back. So is Marie, actually. She is just over the moon about you and your little nickname for her."   
Tom smiles and laughs his trademark "ehehehe" before reaching up and brushing your hair back off the side of your face. "I thought about her and Jameson while I was there. I missed them...and you, terribly." You blush. "No, I did. I missed her adorable little laugh, and Jameson's big bright smile. But as for you..."  
Tom pauses and leans toward you and in a throaty whisper says, "I missed hearing you moan my name and feeling your body pressed against mine." Your breath shakes and you shut your eyes in a silent prayer there were no other tables around. But he wasn't quite done yet. "I missed this gorgeous neck of yours and this little patch of skin right here," he whispered as he kisses the spot right behind your jaw. You already feel the heat pooling between your legs, and you press your thighs together, looking for relief. Tom's fingers stroke the inside of your knee again. You bite your lip to keep the noises you want to make from coming out of you. "I told you, be careful with that lip, darling. I'd hate to see something happen to that beautiful mouth of yours."  
He sits back in his chair again, keeping his eyes on you. You swallow and regain some composure and cut him a look. "Mr Hiddleston, we are in public. Unless you intend to rip this skirt off me, don't do that." Your warning is half-hearted. He gives you an evil smile.  
"Tell me something. What did you do after I went to bed Wednesday?" Tom takes a sip of his wine.  
You freeze then smile and lick your lips. "Oh, I think you know."  
"Well, I certainly hope it didn't take too much out of you." He sets his wine glass down. "How long is Nina keeping your children?"  
"Until I call her tomorrow morning." Your voice fills the air between you two with lust.  
Tom leans forward again and growls in your ear "Then if we eat quickly, we may have enough time tonight for me to fulfill my promise to fuck you absolutely hoarse." You shudder happily as he slowly leans back and you consider telling the server to wrap up your food before it even reaches the table.  
Tom tells you about the role he auditioned for as you both eat. The sexual tension eased back when the food arrived and you realized you'd been so excited for Tom to return that you hadn't eaten lunch. The food smells scrumptious as you tear into it.  
"Dessert?"  
"No, thank you."  
"We'll just take the check." His hand creeps up your thigh, the furthest it's been. Thankful for the angle and the table's seclusion, you part your knees for him. He takes that as an invitation. His fingertips brush against your cunt. His eyes widen. "Saucy little minx. No panties?"  
"None." You both look up at the waiter when he brings the check. Tom pays for dinner. You see another of Jimmy's old friends as you leave the restaurant, Tom's arm wrapped around your waist.  
His hand remains high on your thigh on the drive but yours wander. Touching his hair, teasing down his chest and then his thigh.  
"You're distracting me, love."  
"Then pull over." You pop the button of his dress slacks, pushing the zipper down with the back of your hand as you reach in. He's hard and ready when your hand closes around his shaft.  
"Where? Pull over where?"  
You look around and nod. "There. Farm access road. Just pull in until the trunk is at the tree line." Tom whips the Jaguar onto the turn off. You're out of your seat and in his lap before he kills the engine.  
"Eager are we?"  
"You have no idea." He lifts up and pulls his slacks down to his thighs. His cock springs to attention. "Condom?"  
"Glove compartment." You lean over and open the glove box. He reaches between you and probes your luscious folds. "Soaked already." You blush. He tries to take the condom from you but you pull it away, tearing it open. His hands flex on your thighs as you roll it down the length of him. "Come here." He grabs the back of your neck and kisses your lips. Your tongues caress each other. You lower yourself onto him. Your open mouths hovering together.  
"Oh fuck."  
"So tight." He grabs your hips and helps you move. Your hips roll forward. "Harder. Fuck me harder, love." You grab the headrest and bounce. "That's a girl," he moans. He reaches between you to flick your clit. The jolt throws you off and makes you clench around him.  
"Christ, Tom!"  
"Yes, baby!" Your moans grow louder and harsher. Your thighs tense.  
"Oh fuck, Thomas!"  
"Cum for me, love."  
"So close." He thrusts up to meet you. He pinches your clit and sends you over the edge, crying out. You spasm around him and that's all he needs to bring him over.  
You fall forward, resting your forehead on his shoulder. "Maybe we can make it back to the house before I'm ready again."  
You pull your skirt down as you drop back into the passenger seat. "You better hurry then."  
"Yes, baby." He starts the engine and revs it.  
"Fuck, this is a sexy car."  
"Not as sexy as you. Especially when you say fuck."  
He backs out onto the highway and heads back to your place. You lean over as he pulls into the driveway, taking a handful of hair tightly. Your lips just barely skim his ear lobe. "I can't wait for you to fuck me again."  
Tom barely makes it into the driveway before you attack him again. You make it inside, but don't make it to the bedroom until after you made a stop at the dining room table...and the kitchen counter. And then again on the living room couch. After the last round, he had to practically carry you up the stairs. The man made you lose feeling in your legs. That had never happened to you before. Not with Jimmy, Clay, anyone. But then again no one revved you up as much as Tom did, even before he showed up at your library one day. Then when you saw him with Jameson and Marie, it became something totally different.   
It was different for Tom, too. You just didn't know it. Yet. He had never stayed up half the night texting a girl he had just met. He'd never worried about what to wear to a damn library to sit and read. Well, read and watch you work. In all his travels, Tom had never seen someone that smiled so when she helped someone. He watched you during story time with the young children and how you held every child with rapt attention during the silliest book. He saw how cute you looked when someone asked you for something you needed to think on, how your lips would poke out in a half-pout and your eyebrows would knit together. That face made him have to stifle a laugh every time. And he had certainly never had the guts to just ask a woman for coffee while hardly knowing her name.  
Sleep came effortlessly for both of you, and you were a tangle of limbs on the bed together. Tom pulled you close in the middle of the night without realizing he'd done it. Another first.

The next morning, you can barely move. Your hips and thighs scream, and your arms ache as you stretch them above your head. You look to your left and see Tom through bleary eyes. His hair was absolutely a mess from all your pulling on it last night. His jaw was slack and left his mouth hanging open just a little. You reach up to play with a lock of his hair and he jerks his head in reflex. You yank your hand back, afraid you had woken him up. You haven't but were still surprised when, with his eyes still closed, he reaches out and pulls you to him in his sleep. His face knits in a look of worry. He relaxes when you wrap your arms around him and lightly stroke his back. You don't have clue one where to start with what was happening, but you're afraid to question it. If you did, you might end up pulling a thread you didn't want to unravel.


	4. Chapter 4

You shift on the couch. The rain had come out of nowhere, but the forecast said it would continue the rest of the day. Tom's touch on your shoulder draws your attention around to him.  
"There's my girl. Where were you just now?"  
"Miles away, honey."  
"I'm running to the hotel to get the presents for the children. I'll be right back." You nod and smile softly. "Are you alright?" His thumb caresses your cheek then your bottom lip. You turn to kiss his palm.  
"I'm fine. I promise." He leans down and kisses you. Your head tips back and you feel his touch at your throat. Those fingers glide down the expanse of your next.  
"You know you can talk to me, right darling? I want to know what you're thinking."  
"I will. I just. . .have to get it all in order."  
He frowns then kisses your forehead. "Don't tell me you're dumping me. After last night."  
You laugh at the incredulity of YOU dumping him. "No, Tom. Not dumping you. Go get your presents. I'll be right here."  
"You better be. I love snuggling in the rain." With that, he disappears out the door into the afternoon rain.

The thunder of Jameson and Marie coming home nearly matches the thunder outside. You both jerk awake from where you'd fallen asleep snuggling on the couch. Marie climbs up on you.  
"We made sumfing for Tom."  
You grab her waist and turn so that Tom can stand up and stretch. Jameson breathes 'wow'. "You're tall, Tom. Like super Tall."  
"Well, Jameson, I did play a frost giant."  
You watch comprehension take hold of your son's face. "I knew it! I knew you were Loki!"  
You laugh and roll your eyes. "Way go to, limey. Now, we'll never hear the end of it."  
"Limey?" He feigns indignation. "I'll show you limey." He drops back to the couch and begins tickling you, mercilessly. Your laughter goes high pitched then silent. "I'll take no such treatment from a Yank."  
Nina clears her throat. "I really hate to break up the love fest, but I have to take Wade his lunch."  
"Stuck working dispatch again?"  
"Yea, his shoulder's out again."  
"Tell him I love his face." Nina kisses the kids' cheeks before she leaves.  
"Is Wade a police officer?"  
"Yea. We all went to school together."  
"Small towns."  
"You have no idea, love."  
Marie finally speaks up. "Pwesents."  
"Of course, princess." Tom kisses your temple before standing up. You watch him ascending the stairs.  
Could you really handle this being temporary? Or would your body and your heart be ruined forever after he'd finished filming and left for London? You sigh then look at your kids, absolutely in love with him. Fuck. You really hadn't thought this through. You'd been so caught up in it happening that you didn't think about the aftermath. Fuck. This is why you hadn't dated very much over the last 3 years. When he left, you'd have to deal with your heart break and theirs.  
Tom thumps down the stairs. He crouches in front of you and Marie. "Since my princess is far from Buckingham Palace, I had to make sure she had a guard to protect her." He produces a teddy bear in the costume of the Royal Guard. Marie squeals and jumps off you and at Tom and the bear. Her little arms wrap around the bear and she squeezes almost painfully.  
"What do we say, Marie?"  
"Yank you!"  
Jameson flops on the couch next to you. "You didn't get me a bear too, did you?" Tom ehehehehe's.  
"Jameson Wayne."  
"No, it's fine." Tom maneuvers around to sit down next your son and hands him a bag. "I was kind of at a loss. I'm afraid I didn't know much what you like expect for superheroes." Tom hands him a gift bag and glances at you, more nervous than he had been with Marie's gift.  
Jameson pulls out a shirt then holds it up. His eyes shine, but he tries to play it cool. "This is so rad, Tom." You're not surprised, but you have to look away when your son hugs Tom.  
"Go play now. I'll fix lunch and holler when it's ready."  
Tom touches your shoulder then pulls you in to his arms.  
"Now, for your present." He lays a silver locket on your chest from behind.  
"Oh, Thomas. It's beautiful."  
"Lift your hair, darling." You sweep your long tresses off your neck and he clasps it at the back. "My audition was on the West End and I saw this in a little shop and thought of you. I hope you like it."  
"I- I love it." You look down and blink the surprised tears from your eyes.  
"I wanted to bring you something special." He takes your chin. "Because you've become special. To me." He leans in for a kiss, but Marie comes running in screaming in delight and grabs one of the play swords.  
"Lunch?"  
"Lunch." You let your hair drop then scurry into the kitchen. Taking a lung full of stormy air in through the kitchen window, you grab the counter. Fucking Hiddleston. Dammit.  
You stand in the kitchen cleaning up from lunch while Tom chases the kids upstairs for their quiet time. Marie has yet to put her new bear down and Jameson can't wait to wear his shirt tomorrow and show it off. All you could think about was what would happen in a few months when Tom left. You were entirely lost in thought when his voice startles you half to death. "You'll put a hole in the tile if you keep going around and around like that." You whip around to see him leaning on the door jamb, arms crossed and a pleased smile on his face.  
"Jerk." You smile.  
"First I'm a limey and now I'm a jerk? You're meaner than you look." He walks toward you. "You were miles away again just now. What are you thinking about?"   
You inhaled slowly and bit your lip. "Nothing." Lie. You shake your head.  
Tom drops his head and smirks at you, not believing you at bit. "You're a bad liar. Come on, tell me. I want you to tell me."  
You look down at his chest as Tom wraps his arms around you. He holds you tight and wiggles his fingers against your back. After a moment, you just blurt it out. "What's gonna happen when you're done filming and you go back home?"  
Tom furrowes his brow and tilts his head. "What do you mean, love?"  
"Just that. What happens when you aren't doing research or shooting scenes anymore and you leave for London? And stay this time? What then?" You swallow hard, afraid of the answer.  
Tom breathed out a laugh. "You think I'm just here with you out of convenience, simply because of circumstance. And that I don't intend to treat you the way you deserve once circumstances change."  
You look up at him with worry all over your face. "I can handle my own broken heart. I've done it time and again. But them?" You gesture upstairs. "It's not just me that gets hurt when someone leaves. And I can't watch them go through it. It isn't fair to them when they've done nothing wrong." You reach up and start playing with the strings of Tom's hoodie.  
Tom raises a hand and runs it through your hair, holding the back of your head up to look at him as he processes what you'd just told him. "Darling. Yes, I might go back to London when we're done filming. But if I were to leave and never come back, you and those gorgeous children wouldn't be the only ones nursing a broken heart. And if you think I would just up and leave, then I have sorely missed my mark." Now, it was your turn to furrow your brow. "When I told you earlier you've become special to me, I meant it. And I intend to keep that going for some time."  
Your eyes sting at his confession. You sniffle a bit, biting the small tears back. "Well, Mr Hiddleston, I think its safe to say you have sufficiently ruined me." He can't help his laugh, and leans to kiss your forehead. "Besides, my house gets terribly lonely. Far too quiet with two empty bedrooms and no one to share my massive bed with. Not very enticing, if you were to ask me."  
"You just- Can I- Wow. I need a minute." You slip from his arms and lean against the counter.  
"Have I overstepped my bounds?"  
"What? No." You shake your head a little too rapidly. He comes up behind you, resting his hands on your arms. You both stand there watching the rain.  
"Talk to me, love." He kisses the top of your head.  
"It's just a lot to process, Tom." You lean back into him. "I went from being a fan in unrequited love to meeting you and spending time with you, having amazing, mind-blowing sex with you."  
"Mind blowing, aye?"  
You can feel his smile against your hair. "I get these surreal moments where I can't believe this is really happening. And now, you really did just ask me and my kids to move in with you in London."  
"I did."  
You squeeze your eyes shut. "I can't." Your breath hitches in your chest.  
His arms wrap around your chest and he buries his face in your neck. "Will you tell me why?"  
"I have a year left of school. And there's Jack and Denise and Nina and Wade."  
"All of whom want you to be happy and would surely miss you but would probably encourage you to go."  
"What about school?"  
"You need to finish. So we can do the long distance thing. We'll visit often and talk daily."  
You sigh and bring up the albatross round your neck. "And what about Jimmy?"  
"What about him? He doesn't need to be a problem."  
You sigh and turn in his arms. "If anyone told me I'd be falling in love with you after two weeks, I'd say it was too good to be true."  
"Not unrequited love of a me that you don't really know."  
"But the real Tom. The Tom that I've been aching to know."  
"Oh, I make you ache?" His eyes sparkle.  
"That you do. It's insane the times I've made myself cum thinking of you."  
He growls. "Now, I get to make you cum." He kisses you roughly, pressing you between his body and the counter.  
"Ruined. Absolutely ruined."  
"And you love it, so shut up and kiss me while the kids are distracted."  
"Yes, sir." You pull him into a kiss, forgetting everything for the moment.  
Laying in bed that night, you're wide awake from the overthinking you're doing. He's crazy. That had to be the only explanation. You're a single mom with two children from a crazy ex and a boring life. He had to be crazy to even be with you in the first place, let alone come back after he left, AND ask you to come back to London with him. Nothing about your life so much as bordered on the life you assumed he lived: flying to different locations to film, suiting up to attend premieres of his movies, going to photoshoots.  
No, your life was depending on family to watch your kids so you could finish your homework, seemingly endless laundry baskets, and Marie waking you up scared when she had a bad dream. But it was still a thread you didn't want to pull on. And maybe it was nothing worth worrying about. Tom always seemed like the most genuine person in every little snippet and interview you'd ever seen. He was honest and down to earth and never acted with pretense.  
You take a deep breath, trying to process everything. It didn't work. But you knew what would. You slip out of bed and pad across the carpet and down the hallway. Silently as possible, you turn the knob to Jameson's room and push the door open gently. There they lay. Jameson was on his stomach, his head peeking out from under the sheet, snoring a little. Marie was splayed out on her back, one arm wrapped tight around her new teddy bear. It was the most calming thing to you to watch them sleep.  
You were so thankful they were close. You and Jason were close now, but that wasn't always the case when you were younger. These two wouldn't miss out on anything like you and Jason did. What would he think about all this? And your own mom and dad? You and your mom hadn't always gotten along. You fought a lot, and looking back you wish you had listened to everything she'd said about Jimmy. But then you wouldn't have had this life. As crazy and messy as it was, you loved it.  
You realize just how much it could change in the next few months. You hear soft footfalls come up behind you. A pair of arms wrap around you, one at your waist and one at your shoulders. Tom clasps you to him and rests his head against yours. "My god, they're precious." You smile and lay your arm on top of his at your waist. Tom starts to rock back and forth gently. "Come back to bed, sweetheart. It's lonely without you." You nod and let him guide you back to your bedroom still wrapped up in him. He situates himself around you once back under the covers and you fall asleep.

The next week flies by. The library full to bursting in the afternoon with seniors studying for finals. Tom has taken to studying for his role at your big farmhouse kitchen table. This after he was set upon by Loki fangirls one afternoon. Between Jameson's soccer practice and Marie's dance lessons, you don't have enough to time breathe until after dinner is done and the kids are bathed and tucked into bed.  
You drop down onto the floor in the den after cleaning up the toys. Tom's long legs stretch out on either side of yours. He wraps an arm around your middle and places a glass of wine in your hand. You fall back against him. "Are you sure you want domesticity? It's not the jet set life, but it's still high paced."  
Tom sips his wine then nuzzles behind your left ear. "I'm willing to give it a go."  
"It doesn't work like that." You pull at the string.  
He squeezes you. "Then tell me how it does work."  
You sigh and sip the wine. "My favorite Moscato. How'd you know?"  
"You had a bottle in your fridge the first night I stayed over." You drain your glass then turn around and sit on his lap, your legs out behind him. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you press your forehead to his.  
"You've made me the happiest woman in the universe this past, what month?"  
"Has it really only been a month?" You nod, making his head nod. He sets down his wine glass and takes hold of your ass with both hands. "I feel like I've known you forever." He tilts his head to nuzzle his nose against yours. He parts his lips and hovers over yours. You sigh, opening yours. His lips barely brush back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. You whimper softly and he pulls you against him.  
"Move in here."  
"What?"  
"You're filming here for two months. Right?"  
"Right, my love."  
"The kids will be out on summer break. You'll get to see first hand what you're getting into. The good, the bad, the oh my god, what's that on your hands."  
He laughs and pulls you up. "Alright. But are you sure you want some limey living in your house all summer?"  
You smile softly, almost sadly. "You have no idea."  
"You keep telling me that." You pull him into a kiss that turns into wandering hands. The clothes eagerly come off.  
Afterward, you lay your head on his chest. "I'm going to have to wear flip flops all week."  
"But you're so beautiful when you ride me." You giggle.  
"We should probably get our clothes back on before the kids find us."  
"That would be a good idea." You both sit up and begin to put the pieces back together. "Would you like another glass of wine?"  
"No, thanks. But I'd love it if the Englishman living with me would fix me a cup of tea the way he does."  
"But of course." He kisses you then again. His hand drops to your waist and he takes your mouth again.  
You moan. "Tea. Kisses later."  
"Or you could come with me and I can kiss you while I make your tea."  
"Clever boy." He beams then chases you into the kitchen.

"You mean he's gonna stay here and not in a hotel? That's awesome!" Jameson beamed. You wanted to tell the him and Marie before it happened, but you didn't have any reason to worry. They were practically as in love with Tom as you were.  
Marie takes your face into her tiny hands as you kneel down beside her. "Will he wead us bedtime stowies and walk us to school, too?"  
You grin and nod at her. "I bet he will, if you ask him nicely."  
Her response is an excited squeal before she jumps in circles around the playroom. "Tom is coming to stay wif us! Tom is gonna stay wif us!" Jameson joins her in her dance. You shake your head at their silliness. Tom is in for it now.

A few days later with the last of his stuff unpacked, you watch Tom in your bedroom. He's hanging up the last of his button-downs in the closet.  
"Are you sure you're ready for this?"   
He smirks at you. "If I had had any doubt, I wouldn't have unpacked." You smile in spite of yourself, still worried he would get a taste of it and turn tail and run. He reaches for you at the closet door and pulls you in. He holds tight to your hand as he wraps his free arm around you. "I don't want you to think I'm only here thinking I'm playing house or something. I take this seriously. Both you and the children. To let me into your life like this...no one has ever done that before. And I'm glad it's with you." Your heart warms at his confession, and Tom leans down for a kiss. It starts off sweet and loving, but as he slides his tongue against your bottom lip and you give him entry, it quickly turns. Tom slides his hand up your back and reaches your hair. You moan softly as his hand tangles in it. He turns your body to exit the closet for the bed...there stood Marie.  
Tom breaks the kiss quickly and you turn your head to see her. "Oh god, Marie!" You fall from Tom's arms almost. You catch yourself on the doorframe before you did, though. Your heart pounds. "What is it, sweetheart? What do you need?"  
"Mommy, Jameson won't let me play with his toys and he's being mean!"   
You sigh a little. "I'll be right there, okay? Go tell him he needs to share and you two need to play together."  
She stays standing in her spot and looks between you and Tom. She bites her lip and you can tell she's thinking something. "Mommy?"  
"What is it, baby?"   
She hesitates for a moment. "Is Tom gonna be our new daddy?" The question smacks you in the face and you can feel yourself blanch for a minute. Totally unsure of how to respond, you kneel down and just wing it. "Oh honey, you don't need to worry about that for right now. Just go play with your brother." Marie nods and skips back off to the playroom. You stand back up. Too embarrassed to be the one to turn around and face Tom. You're grateful when he leans over and kisses your cheek and whispers, "She certainly knows the way to a man's heart."

The following day Tom had meetings in Terre Haute all day. With the production company and city officials, as well as attorneys from the 3 universities that they'd be filming at. You carefully close the door to Marie's room. You hear the front door open then Tom's lovely voice talking to Jameson in the den.  
After pouring yourself and Tom a Jameson and water, you lean on the door jam, your hip popped out to the side.  
Once again, that soft smile takes your lips. Your son is telling his new best friend about the goal he scored at practice. He gets so animated telling his little stories. Tom looks up and spots you in the doorway. He blows you a kiss then turns his attention back to Jameson.  
"Bed, kiddo. You've got games all day tomorrow and Uncle Wade's cook out."  
"I forgot! Oh Tom! You're gonna love Uncle Wade. He's a cop. And all his friends are cops and they take me for rides in their cars sometimes and I get to wear their hats and talk on the radio. I've even got my own badge!"  
"That's pretty amazing, buddy."  
"I know right!" Jameson fiercely hugs Tom. "Night, Tom." You take your hug from your son and kiss his cheek. "Night, mama."  
"Night, baby. No reading in bed. Early morning, long day. I don't want a cranky pants."  
"Yes, mama. Love you."  
"Love you." You kiss his cheek again and watch him walk down the hall. When you hear the door close, you turn to Tom and practically into his chest. He sighs heavily as he wraps his arms around your waist and leans in for a kiss. That sigh becomes a moan from you both as you wrap your arms around him, pressing the length of your body to his. "So how was your day?"  
"Long and boring and filled with red tape. The city officials attempted to turn today into a publicity grab."  
"Figures."  
"Why's that?"  
"Terre Haute is a small town that thinks it's a metropolis." You roll your eyes and shake your head. "Have a drink, handsome. Your dinner is on the oven."  
"Fantastic. I was going to stop but all I could find was fast food, processed shit."  
"Yea, but there's fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy and fresh green beans waiting for you."  
"That sounds absolutely mouth watering." He sips his drink. "I'll go wash up."  
"I'll put it in the dining room." He kisses you deeply, tasting of whiskey. Your heart flutters and you feel your stomach drop out. One of those surreal moments hits you. You watch him walk away then take your drinks into the dining room, setting your glass by your computer. You set his glass and his plate across from you. He untucks his shirt as he walks in the room and kisses your cheek.  
"I'm starving."  
You open your mouth to make a lewd comment but there's a knock at the door. You glance at the clock. Nearly 9p.m. on a Friday, it really could be anyone, but this late usually meant am emergency. Your breath stops as you look through the peephole. Throwing the door open, your throw yourself into the arms of the man holding the screen door open with his back side with a surprised shriek. He grunts and hugs you back, burying his face in your hair at your neck. You drop back and slug him in the chest.  
"Oh my fucking god! I didn't know you were coming home! Why didn't you tell me?"  
He closes the door behind him. "It was kind of a surprise." He dips his ginger head and rubs the back of his neck.  
Tom comes out of the dining room to see what all the commotion is about. "Everything alright, darling?"  
"Hello?" The man's wide, bright grin falls slightly.  
"Oh Mikey!" You grab Tom's arm. "Tom, this is Mike. My best best bestest friend. Mike, this is Tom. My-my-" Boyfriend sounded too presumptuous, lover an understatement.  
"Her boyfriend." Comprehension crosses Mike's face and disappointment. They awkwardly shake hands but Tom's good nature wins out. "A pleasure to meet you."  
You start to gush. "Tom, Mike's in the Army. He's been stationed in Iraq. Side gunner, right." He nods.  
"Oh wow, it's truly an honor to meet you, sir." Tom shakes his hand a second time.  
"Thank you." Mike nods then glances between the two of you.  
"Well come in, fucker. Don't just stand there." You're oblivious to the male contention going on behind you as you babble to Mike about Tom then switch back to babbling to Tom about Mike. The men you love most, aside from your son follow, glancing at each other as you lead them back into the dining room.  
"So what the hell are you doing back home? I thought you had another year on your contract!"  
"I do, but I put in for this time a while ago. It was supposed to be for you birthday in October last year then it was Christmas then it was who knows what...but I'm here now! That's all that matters!"  
You don't see it, but Tom's eyes flash with a little more green than usual at the mention of this guy putting in for time off for your birthday from half a world away. 'Settle down, old boy...they're just friends,' he tells himself. You reach for a third plate as Mike seats himself at the kitchen counter and Tom moves up behind you.  
"I am just so glad you're home! How long are you staying?"   
"Just a couple weeks then I'm headed back." Tom runs his hand gently down your back as you serve up another plate. Mike watches Tom's hand stroke your skin and his own eyes flare with envy. You are 110% oblivious to the rising tension between the two men.   
You carry Mike's plate to the table and everyone seats themselves. As you all dig in, you beg Mike for stories from the front lines. Not actual war stories, but you knew well enough Mike was a big idiot who knew how to have a good time wherever he was. He told you about the time he almost got caught sneaking off base to go into town, and the time a buddy of his got busted for playing jokes on the captain of his unit.  
"Yeah, Sully has yet to live that one down. We bust his chops about it six months later still!" You all laugh, and you throw your head back giggling long after the two men are done.   
"Mike, it's so good to know you haven't changed. I missed you, and so have the kids for that matter."  
"Oh man, I missed them too. They upstairs?"  
You nod, swallowing a sip of your drink. "Yeah, I'm surprised they haven't woke up yet from us being so loud. Here, I'll get my phone and show you some pictures." You hop up to get your phone from the other room. Mike watches you walk out, but Tom watches Mike. And he doesn't like the way Mike is looking at you. Not one bit. He turns his head and looks Tom directly in the eye knowing he's been caught. Not like he cares.  
"So, how long have you known each other?"  
"Since we were about 12 or 13. We were in the same Sunday School class. How about you?" This wasn't two men making conversation. This was two men asserting dominance. A pissing contest without the actual piss.  
"A little over a month. But it feels so much longer, I must say." The two men nod a little, knowing Mike just won that round.   
You enter the dining room again phone in hand and start showing Mike pictures from earlier that evening. "This is Jameson, after soccer practice. He was so excited. He'd just scored his first goal. And here's Marie, she played cheerleader all night, hahaha.  
"They've gotten so big. That's crazy!"  
"Oh, let me show you my favorite!" You flick back to a couple days ago. You find it: a picture of Tom holding Marie as they make silly kissy faces at each other. "This one. I need to get it printed. I just love it."  
"Which one is that, darling?"   
"The one of you and Marie, and she's making the fish kiss face." Tom beams at you then smiles at Mike victoriously. You're still blissfully unaware of the tension.  
"That one is my absolute favorite." Mike looks up at Tom as you take your phone back and sees his smirk. The score now 1-1.  
As you walk Mike out after dinner, you beg him to come to Wade's cookout tomorrow. "Okay, I'll be there. But only if I can play with those kids."  
"Deal. Oh, I'm just so glad to see you again, Mike!" You pull him in again for one last hug before he leaves. As he walks down the steps and back to his car, you lock the door. You turn around to see Tom standing in the entryway, his jaw set. Your eyebrows knit together. "What? What's the matter?"  
He wasn't looking at you. He was looking past you. "Nothing. I just, uhh...nothing, darling."  
"No, tell me. What is it?" You walk toward him. He plants his hands at your waist and you pull him down for a kiss.  
"It's really nothing. I'm just tired."  
You nod. "Okay. Let's go to bed then. It's going to be an early day tomorrow anyway." You lace your fingers with his and Tom follows behind you up to your bedroom. He experienced another first that night. Jealousy. He didn't like the thought of someone else with his eye on you. That was clearly what Mike had.


	5. Chapter 5

Tom's fingers lace with yours as his pins your hands above your head. His lips find the pulse in your neck. You spread your thighs wider. Each thrust drawing a low moan from you. You close your eyes against the bright morning sunlight. Your hands shook as he continued this slow, delicious torture. He could let your hands go, but he'd rather hold your hands than your thigh.  
"My sweet love." He murmurs against your lips before taking them. You weren't quite sure what spawned this languid, intense lovemaking but dear god it felt fantastic. Every nerve was electrified. He leans back, finding a different angle and white stars explode behind your eyes. Before you can scream out your orgasm, his mouth covers yours. He continues through gritted teeth, savoring the way your body clenches around him. Your orgasm throws him into his, shuddering and groaning into your mouth. He drops to your side, only releasing one hand. His body curls around you.  
"Good morning, love."  
"Good morning, darling. Why don't you shower while I fix breakfast?"  
"That's a great idea. Something light. Jameson's going to be running alot and I'd rather he not throw up in the heat."  
"Such a wonderful mother you are." You grin at the compliment. He leans up. "I'll shower while you're getting the kids ready." You nod. His kisses you sweetly, lingering at your lips. He didn't like being jealous. But the thought of you with anyone but him made his chest tight. Especially when Mike had clearly come over last night with other things in mind than dinner.  
"Are you ok, Tom?"  
"Fine. Just enjoying you while I can." He fingertips trail down your calf as he scoots of the bed. You watch him pull his black track pants on then disappear out your bedroom door.  
How lucky were you? Things just kept getting better and better.  
You grin like an idiot as you shower, pulling on a comfy tee and shorts and your running shoes. You pull your hair up into a high ponytail. As you come down stairs, you hear Marie and Tom talking in the kitchen. You sit down on the stairs, listening.  
"I yike you, Tom."  
"Well I like you, Marie."  
"You make mama smile. I yike mama's smile."  
"I like your mother's smile too. I think it's beautiful. I think she's beautiful."  
"Do I gots a bootiful smile too?"  
"Yes, you do. You're every bit as beautiful as your mother."  
"Tom, are you gonna say wif us?"  
"For a little while, yes."  
"Are you gonna yeave yike bubby's daddy did?"  
"No, princess. I'm not. Come on. Let's go check on your mummy and Jameson."  
You stand up and come down the stairs the rest of the way. "May may, let's get you dressed. Nice play clothes."  
"I pick!" She hurries past you on the stairs. Jameson throws the door open to his room. He's already dressed and ready, a bubbling ball of excitement.  
"Morning, mommy. Morning, Tom." He hurries into the kitchen. "Oh! Bagels and strawberries! And chocolate milk!"  
"I'll just hop in the shower." He lays his hand on your belly then kisses your temple. You smile, turning to kiss his cheek.  
"We need to leave in 15 minutes."  
"That's 5 more than I need." You follow him back upstairs so you can get Marie dressed. She's picked out a blue tutu to match the color of Jameson's jersey. You put her in a light blue peasant top and sandals then pull her hair up into pig tails. Tom pokes his head in the door. "There's my girls. Ready?"  
"Ready."

Marie sits in front of Tom, coloring on the bleacher seat. You keep stealing glances at him behind your sunglasses. This morning keeps coming back to your mind, breaking your focus. His touch had been so loving and gentle. The way his captivating eyes looked right into your soul. You were in serious trouble. You pull your focus back to the game.  
"There's only a few minutes left."  
"Tom. Jameson has the ball." You both start to stand up, cheering him on as he gets closer. He maneuvers around the defender and scores the game winning goal. You scream and turn to Tom who's yelling in pride, his fist raised at shoulder height.  
"My son just scored his first goal. And won the game!" You throw arms around him then kiss him excitedly in front of half the town, not caring of anyone knows. He returns your kiss, resting his hands on your waist.  
"Come on. Let's go congratulate him." Tom scoops up Marie and you both clambor down the bleachers.  
"Mama! Tom! Did you see?!"  
"We sure did!"  
You give proud hugs then the pair of you head back to your house. The kids thunder into the house. "Jameson Wayne. Change your clothes. We gotta get over to Aunt Nina and Uncle Wade's."  
"And while I have a moment alone." You turn to Tom who pulls you onto a hug, nuzzling his face into the side of your neck. You giggle and squeeze him back. His teeth scrape your pulse and catch your breath.  
Jameson thunders down the stairs. "K. Ready!" He darts out the door, Marie in tow.  
The cookout is fantastic. Everyone has so much fun. Jameson and Marie are running through the sprinkler after they had changed into their bathing suits. You introduce Tom to everyone he hasn't already met. Everyone seems to be falling under his spell, even Wade. You figure he would be the toughest nut to crack, as he was very accustomed to playing "bad cop". You know Tom is in good though, when Wade offered him a beer. That was always the barometer.  
"He is one sexy hunk of man, Boots. You better not let him go anytime soon, I'm telling ya."  
You grin as you sip your drink. "Oh, don't you worry. I don't think he's going anywhere anytime soon."  
At that moment, you hear a familiar car pull up the gravel driveway and went around the the side of the house to meet it. It's Mike. Tom watches you like a hawk as you make your way around, careful to still listen to Wade as he talks. He doesn't want to appear disrespectful. You wave to Mike as he climbs down from his truck.  
"Hey you, long time no see!" Mike grins at you, carrying a 12 pack of Natty Light. You grimace. "Ugh, Natty? Really Mike? When are you gonna start drinking real beer, like a man?"  
He made a face at you. "When you grow up and start acting like a lady."  
"Oh, so never then? Alrighty!"  
You pull each other in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "The kids are here?" Mike pulls away.  
"Yeah, back here in the sprinkler. Come on." You lead him around to the backyard and call out, "Jameson! May may, look who I found out front!!"  
The kids look up and see Mike and come running. "Uncle Mike!! Uncle Mike!!" They run into his arms as Tom comes up behind you. He can't get over the jealousy and he wants to be right there as Mike stands and turns around.  
He did, and the two men came face to face with each other. The tension rises with you still totally blind to it. "Mike, it's great to see you again." Tom smiles at him.  
Mike falters as he wasn't prepped for Tom's greetin, and stutters out a, "Hello, good to see you too, buddy." Tom slides his arm around your waist and you smile up at him. Before any of you could say anything else, Nina bounds over to make her own greetings. As she spun off how glad she was to see him, Mike looks back at you with the least bit of wist. Tom looks directly at him as he kisses your temple. 2-1, Tom.  
The afternoon wears on with everyone full and tired. Jameson is worn out and half-asleep on the back porch swing. Mike plays games with Marie as you, Tom, Nina, and Wade all sit on a blanket in the grass talking about nothing in particular. Marie comes skipping over to plop down into your lap. Mike follows behind to find an empty spot beside you. As she sits in your lap, she reaches her arms out to Tom, who leans forward to nuzzle her nose. It was like a game to her, her favorite one. It had yet to fail to make her laugh. You watch their silly game and giggle.   
"Mama, Tom make you smile?" Marie looks up at you.  
"Yes, baby, all the time."  
"Tom say I has bootiful smile too!"   
You gasp playfully with eyes wide. "He did?! That's so nice of him! Did you say 'thank you'?"  
At your prompt, Marie stands up in your lap and reaches for Tom again. She wraps her little arms around his neck, and Tom lifts her from your lap to squeeze her gently. He and Mike exchange dark stares across the blanket. And while you had yet to catch on to any of that, Nina ses everything. "Boots, could you help me in the kitchen? I want to put some of the food away before it spoils."  
"Yeah, I'd love to help." You stand up then bend over to give Tom a kiss before hopping up the deck steps, following Nina. As soon as the sliding door closes behind you, she drags you further inside. "What, what are you doing?"  
"Oh my GOD, do you see what's going on between the two of them?"  
"Between who? What are you talking about?"  
Nina gives you a look. "You idiot, Tom and Mike. All day they've been like two male gorillas at mating season over you. How do you not realize?"  
You roll your eyes. Tom Hiddleston, jealous over you? "Yeah right, Nina. And maybe later, we can get into my spaceship and fly around the galaxy and go see the stars. Get real, that is not happening."  
"Believe it, girl. Those two men are about a shade and a half away from getting into it over you."  
The thought plays in your mind as you say goodbyes to everyone later and head home. Jealous? No way. Although you have to admit...it is one of the sexier things you'd ever thought you'd heard.

The following Friday and Saturday brought graduation parties. 40 of them to be exact. Tom went with you to everyone. He saw how much a part of your community you are. He begins to question how he can take you away from them or if you'll even go.  
You can hear Amy and Jason talking to Tom as you finish getting ready. A pair of distressed jeans hugs your curves. The green plaid short sleeve shirt brings out your eyes. The tight white cami underneath it brings out your cleavage. The locket Tom bought you in London sits on the cleft of your breasts.  
Tom looks up as you come down the stairs. "There's my darling. Your brother thought you might have fell in."  
"Ha. I still get ready faster than you do."  
"Where are you going tonight?"  
"I'm taking Tom to Cadillac Ranch." Amy busts up laughing.  
"You are not!"  
Tom looks confused. "Oh yes. And if I can, I'm getting him on it."  
"On what?"  
Jason claps his shoulder. "You're in for it, friend."  
Tom questions you the entire way to the bar, but you evade him. Expertly. With kisses.  
The bar is a typical country bar. Modern poppish country music plays loudly.  
"Come on, limey. Buy your girlfriend a drink." You take his hand and start to push through the crowd.  
"Lead the way, Yank." He smacks your ass with his other hand.  
"Two shots of Jameson and two with water." The bartender nods. Tom pays the man and you toast. "To books."  
"Books?"  
"Books. Because I found love in them." Tom beams and goes in for a kiss.  
"Did you just say you love me?"  
You blush but evade the question by doing the shot. "Let's dance." You move onto the floor dancing together. "I should be honest."  
"Please do."  
"I hate this music. I love old country. Which when you played Hank, I knew I was done for."  
His hands slide from your hips to wrap around you. He leans in so you can hear him. "I knew I was done for when you smiled at me." He kisses your ear.  
Sever al shots and several dances later, you pull him over to a fenced in area surrounded by people cheering. He's tall enough to see what's going on.   
"That?!" His eyes widen. "You want me on that?!"  
"Oh yes! I'll go first. See if I can beat my last time."  
"You come here alot?"  
"Not so much since Mike's been overseas." Tom's brow furrows. "Come on."  
Tom watches you kick off your shoes then straddle the mechanical bull. You grip it with your thighs and tuck your feet in as best you can. You grab on and lift your arm. The bull starts up. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds. It whips you off. You come up laughing. Tom comes around as you're putting your shoes on.  
You jump into his arms. "You were amazing." He kisses you deeply, you feel it down into your toes. He grips your head and puts his lips against your ear. "I can't wait for you to ride me like that later." You shiver in anticipation.  
"Let's go get another shot and you go."  
"Darling, I'll bust my arse."  
"That's why there's pads, baby."  
"Alright fine. But -you're- riding -me- later."  
You both take the shot then Tom assumes position on the bull. "Go, Tom!" The bull starts up. One second. Two seconds. And it whips him off. He crawls over the side.  
"Oh you so owe me for this, little girl."  
"I do?"  
"You do."  
"Let me show you how it's done." You both turn to see Mike.  
"Mikey! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" You jump up hug him and he lifts you off the ground with a growl.  
"Mike." Tom nods and you can almost see a flicker of what Nina told you.  
"Tom."  
"Well come on, solider. Show us how it's done!" You smack his arm and he pushes you to the side. You and Tom both watch as he kicks off his shoes and assumes the bull. One second. Two. Three. Four. Five seconds. The crowd cheers.  
"Not bad for being in the desert the last 10 months." You miss Mike's smirk as you take both of their hands and turn to the bar. 2-2  
"Shots. For my two favorite men." They follow you to the bar.  
"This rounds on me." Mike pays for the first round of shots. Tom the second.  
Jace Everett 'Bad Things' comes on. You do the typical girl squeal. "Oh my god. I love this song. Come on, baby. We're dancing." You grab Tom and pull him onto the floor. You dance, hips together. In your whiskey bliss, you miss the daggers the men stare back and forth. Mike watches with a grim frown as he drinks his beer. Tom leans in and whispers in your ear.  
"Darling, I do believe this could be our song. I want to do bad things to you."  
"And I'll let you, Mr. Hiddleston." You pull him down into a deep kiss. Your whiskey soaked tongues wrestle and his hands move up your back from your waist and into your hair, holding your head. When he kiss breaks, you're both out of breath. "Let's go home."   
Tom looks up from the kiss to find Mike watching, red faced. 2-3, Tom. "We've had quite a bit too drink, my love. Maybe we should get a hotel and a cab."  
"That's a spectacular idea. I'll just go tell Mikey bye."  
Tom walks behind you, discreetly adjusting himself. "We're out of here. I'm gonna go take advantage of Tom. Night, fucker." Mike hugs you, making it linger longer than Tom likes. He kisses your cheek.  
"Night, fucker."  
You walk outside, a little unsteady on your feet. "Take advantage of me?"  
"That's right."  
The cab rolls up. "Nearest hotel." You drape your legs across his lap. Tom leans in and kisses you, his hand working it's way up your thigh.  
The two of you bust through the door to your hotel room, all hands and lips on each other. You almost rip Tom's shirt off him as he backs you up against the bed. He pulls at your top, desperate to see it in a pile on the floor with your jeans. You push his shirt off his shoulders and savor the feeling of his broad, muscular back under your hands. Tom moves his lips to your neck, finding that favorite little spot of his and sucking and licking the small patch of flesh.  
Your head rolls and you moan out. "God, Tom, don't stop!"  
He murmurs against your skin. "Never, darling." He continues his ministrations. Your hands fumble at his belt and the zipper on his pants, his knead the soft skin of your back. You finally got them down as Tom gently pushes you down onto the bed. He continues his assault down your body, undoing your own jeans and pulling them down your hips along with your panties. You lace your fingers into his hair as he nuzzles and kisses every new inch of exposed skin. You can't take much more of this. Between the dancing and the sheer presence of him, and the notion that he was jealous over you, you are about to go out of your mind.   
You grab his hands settled on your stomach and pull him up to you. Tom protestes at first, but climbs over you and you roll him over onto his back. You feel him throb and are dying to fulfill your promise to him you made at the bar earlier tonight. But not yet. You want just a few more moments of teasing him before you're going to give him exactly what he wanted. Tom looks up at you with eyes wide and jaw hanging open. You reach behind you and unhook your bra. In all the excitement, you had forgotten about it. As you slip it down your arms, Tom's eyes got even wider. You want to tease him a bit and this was doing just the trick.  
"Baby, be careful...your eyes are gonna come right out of your head if you're not careful."   
Tom growls up at you as you bring your hands to your nipples, pinching them lightly and rolling them between your fingers. You rock your hips back and forth, teasing him even more. Tom brings his hands up to your breasts and covers your hands. You move your hands to his wrists and look deep into his eyes as you raise your hips. Another low growl comes from him as you line the head of his cock up with your entrance. You almost scream as you slide down his length and throw your head back. You wouldn't last long and you knew it, and neither would Tom. As you begin riding him, you moan like a wild animal. Tom answers your cries with his own and bucks his hips up to meet yours.  
"Ride me, sweet girl. Let me hear you." You speed up your pace. You feel the coil tightening deep inside your belly. It wouldn't be long now. Tom releases your right nipple and moves his hand down to your clit. He worries it with the pad of his thumb, drawing it out further and further. As he pinches it gently, you can't take any more. Your orgasm hits you, and you throw your head back, gasping and screaming. His own climax comes almost immediately after. Feeling you milk him, he throws his own head back on the pillow. You hold fast to his wrist and use it as an anchor to keep from falling directly on top of Tom.  
He guides you back down to the bed gently, both of you trying to catch your breath. Tom pulls you in close to him, wrapping both arms around you as you slide your top leg over his. He kisses your forehead and cheeks, savoring the feel of your flushed skin under his lips. After a few minutes, your breathing evened out and you start to slip into sleep. Before you do though, you peer out through heavy eyelids to see Tom already asleep. You breath out a laugh and mouth silently against his ear, "I think I do love you."

You feel something warm and wet between your legs, drawing you awake. Oh god, did you start your period early? You reach down to check. And run your hands into Tom's hair. Oh god! Tom's tongue presses flat against your clit. You groan, reflexively opening your thighs more and lifting your hips off the bed. He moans against you and draws your clit between his lips. You gasp and close your fingers in his hair. He chuckles then slips two fingers inside you. Your body clenches around his digits. His tongue and lips mercilessly tease your clit, bringing you higher. Your back arches of the bed. "Oh fuck. Oh Thomas. Oh god!" His tongue laps at your folds then returns to punishing your clit, his fingers sliding in and out. He adds a third digit and your groan is positively animalistic. "Oh god! Oh Thomas! Oh yes!" Your orgasm explodes in a rush of white heat. You clench his hair and pull him down into you, thrusting your hips up. You fall back to the bed, a warm languid pool.  
Tom crawls up to lean over you. "Good morning, beautiful."  
"Good morning, handsome." He kisses you thoroughly. You taste yourself on his lips and tongue and it's not entirely unpleasant. "To what do I owe this wake up to?"  
"I let you sleep in. I went for my run. Got the kids up for day care. Then I couldn't resist a bite to eat."  
"What time is it?"  
"10. I'll be filming late tonight and with you having to open for deliveries tomorrow, I was afraid I wouldn't get time with you."  
"You could have woke me up earlier."  
"Nonsense. You deserve a rest."  
"Thank you. For the extra sleep. And the amazing orgasm."  
"My pleasure." He leans down and teases your lips with his tongue. "I love to watch your pretty face when you cum."  
"Mmmm, well let's see if you can do it again, tiger."  
"I bet I can." He works his hips, sliding snugly into you. You both freeze, panting. He licks your lips so you open them, inviting him in. He kisses you as he begins to move, eating every little sound you make and answering it with his own.  
You draw your nails down his back, getting a hiss in pain and pleasure. He wraps your legs around his waist then grabs onto the headboard. Each thrust brushes your sweet spot. "Oh fuck! Oh god, Thomas!"  
He growls and thrusts harder. "Cum. Cum for me, darling." His arms shake. "Let me see how beautiful you are." Your second orgasm hits like a blow to the gut, taking your breath away. Tom finds his as your walls milk him.  
He leans his full weight on you for a moment then rolls to the side. You both lay there, panting.  
"You've ruined me, Hiddleston. I'm done for."  
"I've been called a life ruiner." He wraps his arms around you and pulls your body into the curve of his. "But I could say the same for you."  
You laugh. "I've ruined Tom Hiddleston's life. That'll definitely crash tumblr."  
His curiosity gets the better off him. "Have you posted anything about us?"  
"What? Are you fucking kidding? And have every crazy in the fandom threatening to gut me if I hurt you."  
"They do that?" He props himself up and looks down at you.  
"Baby, you have a psychoticly loyal fanbase. Most of us are sane, rational women. But then there's the crazies."  
"If any of the more 'spirited' fans ever bother you, you tell me. After the incident with Jane-"  
You hold up your hand. "Please. Please don't mention that woman in this house. I don't know her but what I did hear of her, I didn't like. One of my irrational fangirl moments."  
"No, that's fine. She's not important anyway. You are." He turns your hand and kisses the palm. "So very important."

You sit on your porch swing, watching traffic go by. Jack and Denise had picked the kids up for the afternoon. You took advantage and read on your porch, enjoying the slow spin of the ceiling fan in the June Indiana heat.  
Mike's truck growls to a stop in your driveway. You can't fight the grin as he drops out of the driver's side door. "Hey."  
"Hey you. What's up?"  
"I'm headed up to Turkey Run with some of the guys. A week and a half before I go back to the desert, I'm enjoying as much leafy green as I can." He lifts your legs and sits on the swing then sets your legs over his lap. "Is Tom here?"  
"No, he's filming late tonight."  
"The kids?"  
"At Jack and Denise's."  
He nods then seems to make a decision. Before you can react, he grabs the back of your head and pulls you into a deep kiss and your body into his lap. You push off to stand up.  
"Mike, what the hell are you doing?"  
"Apparently not the right thing." He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. "This isn't going how I expected it to go."  
You lean against the porch rail and cross your arms over your chest. "What isn't?"  
"This. You." He leans back and lays his arm along the back of the swing.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You're with Tom. And whatever English mojo he's running I can't compete."  
"Mike."  
"The real reason I came home is because I'm being moved to the Afghan Mountains. You remember watching that documentary with me? Restrepo?"  
"Yea?"  
"I'm going there."  
"Fuck." You drop to the porch, the air leaving your lungs and the strength leaving your legs.  
"I wanted to-" He sighs. "I came over that first night to ask you to marry me."  
"You what?" Your head snaps up.  
"You and the kids have kept me going. I thought if maybe I had a wife and a family to come back to, it would make that fucking hell more tolerable."  
You stand up and back away. "Mike, I can't-"  
"I've loved you since I hauled your ass out of that creek when you and Jimmy got separated that one camping trip."  
"But you never said anything." He looks at you. "You let me waste another three years with him. You let me get abandoned. And you never said a word."  
"Boots-"  
"No. You don't get to do this. You don't get to make me question everything in my life when I'm finally happy. I love Tom."  
"Please. You've known him less than two months."  
"So? I knew Jimmy our whole lives. Look how that turned out."  
"He's an actor."  
"Mike."  
"He's probably just playing you. Playing house until his filming is done."  
"Why because I'm not good enough for someone like him to really care for me or love me?"  
"You know that's not what I meant."  
"You need to leave."  
"Boots-" You slam the front door behind you and lock it. You wait for the sound of his truck pulling away but you let yourself cry.


	6. Chapter 6

When Jack and Denise dropped the kids back off, Denise pulled you into the den. "What's the matter, are you all right? Did that Tom do something? Do I need to remind him about our little talk from earlier?"  
You shake your head with a small smile. "No, Denise, everything is fine with him."  
"Well, you certainly look like you've seen a ghost or something. What's wrong?"  
"Nothing, I promise." Liar. You bring a hand up and stroke your locket, hoping to find some comfort there.  
Denise eyes you carefully. She wasn't an idiot but she wasn't one to pry rudely. "All right, as long as you and the kids are fine." There is one last round of hugs and kisses as they left.  
"Mommy, lookit I made for Tom!" She pulls out a drawing from her school bag and shows it to you. "Is my bear! See his hat?!" She points proudly.  
You smile as you kneel down to her. "It's beautiful, baby. Tom will love it, I'm sure." She hops up from the table to find Jameson as you start to make dinner. Ten o'clock can't get here fast enough.

After you put them both down for bed, you make yourself some of Tom's tea. It has a calming effect after the day you had, especially the afternoon. You just sit down and get comfortable when you hear small footsteps behind you. Without turning around, you know exactly who it was. "Jameson, what are you doing out of bed? You should have been asleep long ago." You turn around on the couch.  
Jameson stands in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. "Mama, can I just sit with you a minute?"  
"Sure, baby, come here." He climbs up into your lap and snuggles close to you. He picks up your locket and plays with it for a minute before his voice breaks the silence.  
"Mama, is Tom gonna stay with us for a long time?"  
You think for a moment before answering. "Well...he'll be here for a little while longer, yes."  
He nods. "I don't want him to go. How can we make him stay?"  
You sigh lightly. "I don't know, sweetheart. I wouldn't worry about that right now though, okay? Things will be just fine. I promise." You don't know how to respond any other way. Mike had planted a seed of doubt in the back of your head. What if he really was just playing house? Where would he even go for his next role? It was too many things for a five-year-old to have in his head. Jameson drops gently against your chest and you wrap your arms around his small body. He keeps playing with your locket but pops his head up when he hears the front door open.   
As Tom comes down the hallway and into view, Jameson grins ear to ear. Tom grins back at him and you both, and drops his stuff, putting his hands in his hips. "You're supposed to be in bed, young man." He walks into the den and bends over the back of the couch to give you a kiss. It serves to confirm what you tried to tell yourself all afternoon He's here because he wants to be and he cares about you. It calms your fears a little.  
As he pulls away gently, Jameson stands up between your legs and reaches for Tom. He pulls your son up into his strong arms and your heart melts. "Tom, Marie said you were going away. How come?"  
Tom frowns a bit before answering. "Well, I have to. My job takes me all over the place. I'm not lucky Iike your mum that I can stay in a home like this all the time." Jameson looks down. You can tell he's getting upset. Tom cups his chin and lifts his face back up. "Don't worry, kiddo. I'm not leaving yet. And even when I do, I will come back and see you and Marie and your mum as much as I possibly can."  
You draw a shaky breath at that and Tom glances down at you. "You make my mama really happy. And me too. I like to see her happy."  
"And I'll do everything I can to keep it that way. Come on, it's back to bed with you. It's way past your bedtime." As Tom carries him up the stairs, you clean up from your tea. Mike was wrong. While you didn't know where any of this was going to lead you, at least for the moment, he was wrong.  
You sit on the couch with your knees drawn up, looking at the TV but not really seeing it. Tom drops in the space between your back and the arm of the chair. You lean back as he pulls your body against him. You lay your head on his chest, curling your body into a ball.  
"Tom, I need to tell you something."  
He rubs your back, resting his other hand on your knee, tracing circles with his thumb. "What is it, darling?"  
You swallow then take a deep breath and say it. Like ripping off a bandaid. "Mike kissed me this afternoon." His hands stop and his body stiffens. A knot forms in your chest.  
"He what?"  
"He kissed me. I didn't kiss back. We had a fight." You sigh. The knot breaks into tears. "Say something, Tom."  
He sets his jaw and wraps his arms around you. "I'm not happy, but I'm glad you told me." He rests his forehead against your temple. "What did you fight about?"  
"The moron." You sniff and wipe your eyes. "He asked me to marry him. Can you fucking believe that?"  
"Yes."  
"What?" You turn to him.  
"Darling, you're beautiful, intelligent, determined, a fantastic mother, a wild cat in bed and an amazing person." He cups your chin. "I wouldn't mind asking you somewhere down the road."  
Your chest squeezes. "Oh Tom, don't say that."  
He shushes you. "I'm guessing that you said no."  
"Damn right I said no. He's like my brother. I finally see what Nina was saying about him being jealous of you."  
His lips brush your cheek. "I must admit I was jealous of him too."  
"What? Why?"  
"Because of the affection between you."  
"Thomas William Hiddleston. I can't believe you were jealous."  
"I was, darling." He nuzzles your ear. "Now, why aren't you in bed? You have deliveries in the morning."  
"I wanted to see you. To kiss you. To be held by you."  
"I will more than happily oblige." You slide off his lap and turn off the TV. He follows you up to bed and cuddles around you. Your budding relationship with Tom had survived but that said nothing to your friendship with Mike. You'd wait a few days for his pride to heal before you tried to talk to him about it.  
For now, Tom's heavy steady breath and heartbeat at your back lulled you to sleep.

Saturday morning was a rare occasion: no soccer practice, no recital, and no need for you to work. With all the high schoolers and college kids home on break, there were plenty of people available to cover for you. You still wake up early, leaving Tom sleeping. He'd had a late night shoot and was wiped when he finally came home.   
You sit at the computer with your coffee just enjoying the silence. You also indulgw a guilty pleasure. Even though he was upstairs, asleep in YOUR bed, you find yourself scrolling through Tumblr looking at pictures of him. You hope to find one of him in the waistcoat and the white shirt of sex with the rolled up sleeves. Instead, you find a picture that makes your heart jump into your throat.  
It's a slightly grainy picture of the four of you at Jameson's soccer game the weekend before. Tom had Marie in his arms, walking back to the car. Your mouth went dry. Who took that picture? It had to have been an outsider. No one in your little suburb would have done something like that, at least you hope. Your hands shake as you scroll to read the comments.   
"OMG GET AWAY FROM ME!" one person wrote. "How fucking adorable is that little girl, tho?" wrote someone else. "He's a damn natural. Someone give that man a baby, plz." A string of "I volunteer!"s followed. Then someone else commented, "Guys, seriously, look how happy he looks right here. If he's with that woman in this photo, she's apparently doing something right."  
Your breathing evens out a bit at the last comment. Several other people had reblogged and said something similar. One woman even added, "Damn, and she's pretty too. He knows how to pick em." You try to process everything you'd just read. The fandom doesn't seem to hate you, at least. Well, the ones who'd seen that picture. You don't feel as sick as you did a few minutes before.   
As you calm down a bit, you hear little footsteps patter down the stairs. Marie comes around the corner and automatically climbs into your lap. "Good morning, princess."  
"G'mornin, mummy."  
"Mummy? Sounds like you've been spending too much time with Tom, huh?"  
"I'd say, not enough." Tom's voice echoes quietly through from the hallway and he comes shuffling in. You smile up at him and then look down at Marie.  
"Did you go wake him up?" She smiles up at you, all teeth, as a confession. "You know you're not supposed to wake people up, Marie. Especially in Mommy's bedroom."  
Tom bends to kiss her head then turns to you for your own kiss. "What's that?" He looks at computer screen. You bite your lip. You don't know how he's going to react. As he studies the picture and reads some of the comments, you worry again. After a moment, he finally speaks. "Well, it was bound to get out sooner or later. I can talk to Luke if you'd like. Try to figure out where the shot came from and if we can get it taken down. Just because the children are in it."  
You nod. "That would be for the best, I think. At least they don't hate me. I'm glad about that." Tom leans in and kisses your forehead. "Darling, I doubt anyone could."

You spend much of the day cleaning. Tom and the kids spend much of the day playing in the backyard and swimming. You didn't mind. It gave you a mental break from the kids and hearing the laughter of the three most important people in your life made the day so much. You cleaned the out the coffee pot and the kettle. You threw away the broken toys that you could find. Tom had set up his own little workspace in the dining room by the love seat. A stack of books, his laptop, his guitar and glasses. You trace them with your fingertips. One of those surreal moments.  
Laundry's a beast, much like every week. But this time, Tom's clothes are in it and smell like him. You're sat down on the bedroom, sniffing one of his shirts when he walks in.  
He watches your fingertips trace the collar of the shirt in your hands, really feel the fabric then you bring it to your face and close your eyes, inhaling his cologne and his natural scent. It looks an awful lot like the shirt from the training photos for Coriolanus. Instead of putting it in the pile, you tuck it under the bed. Tom raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything. He clears his throat and you jump.  
"Hey baby."  
"Hello, darling."  
"Coming in for the afternoon?"  
"Yes, storm clouds are moving in. The kids are changing in the downstairs bathroom." Tom shuts the door and changes out of his wet trunks. You look up at him, admiring his glorious body. He'd gained back all the muscle he'd lost for the Hank Williams role. You watch him dry off a little more before pulling on clean boxers. Tom catches you watching him. His eyes darken and suddenly, you wish the kids weren't home. "I love it when you look at me like that." He pulls on a pair of jeans, adjusting his growing erection.  
"I love it when you're naked." You giggle. Tom pounces on you.  
"I love it when you're naked as well." He nuzzles your neck and kisses you behind the ear. Your giggles turn to a sigh.  
"Mummy, Tom, are you gonna has a baby?"  
You both freeze. Tom slowly lets you up. "I'll let you take this one, darling."  
"Marie, why would you ask that?"  
"Cuz Miss Maggie an er Misser Dan kissed and hugged lot then Miss Maggie had a baby."  
You pat your lap. "Come here." She flops in your lap. You take the brush she's holding and slowly, carefully brush her hair. "No, Tom and I are not going to have a baby. Maggie and Dan had been trying for a while to have a baby. But Lil bear, just because mommy and Tom kiss doesn't mean we're going to have a baby. It means we care deeply for each other. And that's a way to show it."  
"You yove Tom?" You take a shuddering breath. Glancing around before you answer, Tom seems to have disappeared downstairs.  
"Mommy has always loved Tom. Only now instead of pictures on the computer, I get to know him for real and love who he really is and not just what I know from the Internet."  
"Does Tom yove you?"  
"I don't know, bear. I hope he will."  
"He willw." She stands up. "I yove you so Tom willw too." She leaves you on the floor to sort the laundry and your thoughts.

The storm rolls in and cuts any outdoor plans you had. Tom settles in the den with a book, while the kids watch a movie. You prep dinner and work on laundry between cleaning both bathrooms and both the kids' rooms. A knock startles you from your thoughts as you come down the stairs. Tom answers the door.  
His back stiffens. "Is Boots home?"  
"Yes, she is." Tom steps to the side, opening the door for Mike. They both see you on the stairs.  
He rubs the back of his neck. "Can we talk?"  
"Kitchen."  
The kids run out of the den. "Uncle Mike!"  
"Hey midgets! I gotta talk to your mom and Tom for a minute. Then maybe we can go for ice cream."  
"Ice cream!" They jump excitedly then run back to the den.  
"I'll make some tea." Tom closes the door then heads to the kitchen. You drop the laundry basket on the floor at the foot of the stairs then follow him into the kitchen. Maybe he'd wised up. He looked like a kicked dog.  
Mike doesn't bother with tea. He grabs a beer from the fridge. Tom leaves the cup out anyway. "I want to apologize." You lean on the counter, a safe distance from both men. "I acted like an ass. One for kissing my best friend and two for acting like it was some competition between us."  
"I am guilty of that as well." Tom rests his hands on either side of his body on the counter.  
"I wasn't lying. You and the kids are a big part of what keeps me going over there. And I don't trust you, Tom. I'm sorry, man. I don't know you and you're an actor. You get paid to pretend and I don't want to see the most important people in my life get hurt."  
"I understand, mate. (Y/n) and the kids have become very important to me in the short time I've been here. But I assure you, I'm not pretending my feelings for her. Or them."  
"Jason knocked some sense into me. Said he's never seen you this happy before. And no matter what, I want you happy. I couldn't go back to the desert with this between us."  
You hug him tightly. "I love you, you big moron."  
He hugs back just as tight. "So what's for dinner?"  
You move back to stand next to Tom and he slides his arm around your waist. "Was going to be chicken on the grill, but it's raining too hard to get it to light. So I'm thinking of going lazy and ordering pizza."  
"Works for me. Hot Hawaiian. And pick out a decent movie this time. Jay! May may! Get your shoes, we're going for ice cream!"  
You roll your eyes as Mike's truck backs out of the driveway with your munchkins in the backseat. As much as you tried to keep your kids from being spoiled, the more people they had in their lives, the more rotten they got. At least they were still sweet in the process. Tom comes up behind you, wrapping his arms around you and kissing and nuzzling your neck. You slide your arms on top of his and smile. "Can I ask you something?"  
"Anything, my love."  
You bite your lip. "How- how much longer do you have left to shoot?"  
Tom paused, resting his chin on your shoulder. "I think about six weeks. Then they may do some reshoots. That could take a couple of weeks." You nod. Six more weeks, eight if you were lucky. Then god only knew what would happen. 

Mike and the kids return shortly with both ice cream and the pizza you had told him to pick up. "If you're taking my kids for ice cream and ruin their appetites, you're picking up their dinner first."   
Jameson carries two cups in his hands. "Mama, we got you and Tom some too!"  
"You did! That is so sweet. What kind did you get?"  
Marie chimed in, "Mummy, you gets chock-lit and Tom get the bah-nana!" You grin at her and Jameson and put the two cups in the freezer for later.  
"All right, what movie are we watching?"  
Marie immediately jumps up and down. "Fo-zen! Fo-zen! I pick Fo-zen!!"  
Jameson groans. "We watched that last weekend, Marie! I want to watch Muppet Treasure Island! It's my turn to pick!"  
Marie starts getting upset and shuffles over to where you and Tom stand in the kitchen. "Mummyyyy....Jameson bein' mean a me!"  
You kneel down to her level. "Honey, he's not being mean. It's his turn to pick. You got to pick this afternoon, remember? And you picked a different movie."   
She didn't like your answer one bit and immediately turned to Tom, latching onto his leg looking up at him. He smiles down at her, trying to cheer her up. "Tom I wanna watch Fo-zen." She becomes dramatic.  
He bends over and picks her up like she's weightless. "Oh, sweet girl, you have to listen to what your mummy says. And she says it's Jameson's turn, okay? We can watch Frozen tomorrow, I promise. How does that sound?" She calms and wraps her little arms around Tom's neck. He had somehow prevented a full-scale meltdown in three sentences. Like, how?  
You stare at him with your mouth open. "That's it, I'm keeping you around just for her."  
Tom leans over still holding Marie and growls gently in your ear. "I hope that's not all you keep me around for."

You sit cross-legged in your computer chair, sipping on a glass of sweet tea. You'd been working on dissertation all afternoon, taking bathroom breaks and stopping for lunch. You glance toward the den, hearing Frozen still going. Marie had suckered him in to Tangled as well. They'd watched that first. Jameson excused himself to play in his room. He probably had his Legos out, building.  
You open a new word file and quickly write a one-shot about your date night, adding in a few details from what happened and embellishing where needed. You're uploading it onto your account when Tom startles you from behind.  
"Marie fell asleep."  
"Too much Disney." You laugh, quickly minimizing the windows as Tom walks over. He pulls you up to stand then into a hug, nuzzling his face in your hair. His hands rest on your waist, thumbs moving up and down.  
"Will you take a break and come sit with me?"  
"Of course." Tom sits down in the corner of your loveseat. You sit in the curve of his body, laying your head against his.  
"I'd like to take the kids to the park when they wake up."  
"Jameson's asleep too?"  
"Yes, passed out in a little city like Gulliver."  
"We should make the most of this opportunity."  
"But that would involve moving."  
"True." You sit in silence, cuddling on the loveseat. Tom's breath evens out and his heartbeat slows. Your eyes get heavy and soon you're asleep as well.

After putting the kids to bed later that night, Tom helps you finish picking up the last of the toys in the living room. As you stands up from dropping the stuffed animals in the basket, you catch him staring at your butt. You're wearing a new skirt. You'd made a mental decision to dress up a little bit more when he was here, instead of just relying on your "mom uniform" of yoga pants and t-shirts. Not that he'd had complaint one about them. You wiggle a little to break his attention, and he looks up at you like he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.  
"Like what you see?" You wink.  
Tom laughs, only a little embarrassed, and tries to play it off. "Well- I mean, it, uh..."  
You grin as you walk over to him and spot the small but growing bulge in his pants. You raise up on your tiptoes and whisper, "I certainly like what *I* see."   
Tom looks down to you, his guilty face replaced with dark eyes. He presses his lips against yours, wrapping his arms around you to hold you to him. His tongue traces your bottom lip teasing you. You slide your hands into his hair and pull it. Tom breaks the kiss and breathes into your ear. "I love everything I see when I look at you, my dear."  
You take his hands and lead him up the stairs, into your bedroom and close the door behind him. Almost immediately, he pushes you up against the door, lips attacking yours in a frenzy. You open your mouth to him and he accepts, tasting every corner of it as you moan. Your hands scramble for the hem of his shirt, and Tom breaks the kiss only long enough for you to peel it off his body. He reaches down and grabs you by the back of your thighs and holds you harder against the door. He tilts his hips just so to hold you there. He's so damn muscular that it doesn't take much effort on his part. But, the feeling of being practically suspended and at his mercy sends a shock through you.   
You wrap your legs around him as he fumbles with the buttons on your shirt, revealing your breasts. He practically dives between them, nuzzling the soft flesh and nipping here and there. You fist his hair as he unsnaps the front closure and takes one of your peaks into his mouth. You cry out before you can catch yourself. Tom murmurs against your skin. "Be careful, darling. You don't want the little ones to find us, do you?" You shake your head furiously. He continues his ministrations as you reach for the buckle of his belt. You slip the leather out of the metal and push the zipper of his jeans down. Tom bites down gently on you as you slide your hand into his boxers, finding him rock hard. He groans as you wrap your fingers around him. You squeeze him, and he bucks into your hand. "Do that again and I might not be able to control myself." He growls against your neck.  
"That's the idea, baby." You yelp as Tom pulled you even closer. You don’t think it was possible and you half worry the two of you will break the door. He slides one hand around the top of your thigh and grazes his fingers over your center. Even through your little cheekies, he can tell just how wet you were. He skates two fingers inside the band at your leg and grazes past your lips. You cover your mouth to keep from moaning too loud. Tom chuckles evilly and keeps going.   
He traces the outline of your entrance as you buck your  
hips. He taps your clit as you throw your head back, desperate for more of his touch. “I need you. I need you now, Tom.” You reach for the waistband of his undone jeans and push them down his thighs as far as they go. You hear and fell a rip as Tom ruins your undies and aligns the head of his cock with your entrance.  
You grip his shoulders as he grips your hips, and you  
slide yourself down onto him. You watch his eyes roll back in his head at the sensation. Being with Tom Hiddleston was surreal enough sometimes, but watching him become almost incapacitated because of you is nothing short of a mini-power trip. You feel his body tense as he tries to keep you both upright. You take the opportunity to start pumping yourself up and down on him, rolling your hips and clenching your walls down around him. It draws the most animalistic groan from him and spurs you on. Tom thrusts his hips to match yours and you feel the first wave of your orgasm coming.   
You reach up and grab the hooks on the back of the door. He leans his head forward and captures one of your nipples in his mouth. You both thrust faster and harder. As Tom nibbles his way across your chest, you can’t take it anymore. His thrusts become more and more erratic and as he sucks hard on your flesh, you lose it. White stars explod behind your eyes and you arch your back into him. You clamp a hand over your mouth to muffle your screams, and almost have to do the same for Tom a moment later. He releases deep inside you, panting and thrusting and whimpering til the very end.   
You both still for a moment and gasp for air. Tom reaches up and brushes your hair out of your eyes and kisses you softly. You  
return the kiss gently and slide your hands around his neck. As the kiss breaks, you rest your foreheads together and he nuzzles your cheeks. He loves to do that and you love when he does. The words slip from your mouth before you can stop yourself. “I love you, Tom Hiddleston.”  
Tom positively beams before he kisses you. "Say it again."  
"I love you." He carries you over to the bed and sets you on your feet. Pushing off your shirt and bra, he leans in and kisses your throat.  
"Say it again, darling."  
"I love you, Tom." He grabs your skirt at your hips and pulls it and your ripped panties down your legs.  
"God, I love it." He kisses behind your knees and nips the flesh, getting you wet all over again. He kisses your thighs then places one on your mound. He moves to your belly then your breasts and nipples. "Lay down." You lay down on the bed and scoot back. You watch as Tom sheds his shirt, pants and boxers. He's already semi hard again. "I'm so glad you said it. It was getting harder and harder for me not to." He crawls onto the bed and over you. You open your legs so he can nestle between them. "I want you to tell me if I'm too heavy for you." He lays his weight on you, wrapping his arms under your shoulders. You look into his eyes.  
"No. It's perfect."  
"I beg to differ, darling." He slides inside you slowly, fully. You stare deep into his eyes. "This is perfect." Your body shakes with the intensity of each hard, slow thrust. He doesn't let you look away. Your skin and his skin slide against one another. It's almost too much. His parted lips hover over yours, your breath mingling together. "Say it again."  
Your back arches off the bed, pushing your breasts into his chest. Breathlessly, you say it again. "I love you, Thomas."  
He groans and takes your mouth in a slow, languid kiss. His tongue explores your month, dancing with yours. "I love you."  
"Oh god." The orgasm takes you by surprise. "Oh fuck." Your clenching body sends him into his.   
"I love you, darling." He kisses you then withdraws and rolls you both onto your sides. You wrap your legs around his and snuggle into his chest.


	7. Chapter 7

Tom curses softly. "Darling, my laptop battery died. May I use yours? I just need to send a few emails."  
"Of course." You continue cutting the peppers and onions for curry. The curried chicken crisping in the skillet spices up the kitchen. You dance around the kitchen for a moment to your latest favorite song, Bad habit by the Kooks.  
Tom sends off his emails but the file on your desktop entitled 'Hiddles' gets his attention. He smiles as you sing along with song. A few clicks reveals your entire photo collection of him, carefully organized into photo shoots, characters, awards, gifs and a few others. The one entitled 'spank bank' has special attention. He glances toward the kitchen but there's no sign of you. There's a few gifs, the manipulated photo of him in tub for the 1800 shoot, several from Coriolanus and Moscow and ELLE UK. He closes the file, feeling slightly guilty for snooping. He knew you were a fan so it's not awkward. He's just not sure how to process it.  
"Come pick out the wine, love!"  
"Be right there." He won't deny the thought of you touching yourself to pictures of him is turn on though.

That Friday was date night. You stand in your closet with Marie on the bed playing with her bear. She'd barely set it down since Tom gave it to her. She said she would help you pick out what to wear...but being three years old, she wasn't the best at picking her own outfits yet, let alone ones for you. The effort was sweet though. Jameson had pulled Tom into his room to help him "pick out" what he was to wear.  
"Marie, what do you think of this dress for mommy?" You pull down the red one with the light ruffles on the skirt.  
"I yove dat one, mummy! Wear dat one!!" She jumps up and down on the bed. You slide it off the hanger and unzip the back to slip it on.  
"Come on, help mommy pick out some jewelry too."  
Down the hall, Jameson carefully examines Tom's choice of outfit. "What do you think? Is it all right, buddy?"  
Jameson thought for a moment, squinting his eyes and rubbing his chin. He finally nodded. "Yeah, this is a good one. Mama will like this one. I'm sure of it." Tom grins at him and raises his hand for a high five. Jameson returns it with vigor and Tom sits down on the bed next to him. Jameson quiets and looks down at his feet.  
"Are you all right?" He doesn't respond, so Tom prods a bit more. "You know, you can always tell me if something is bothering you, Jameson. I want you to trust me." Tom knows it would be a huge step he would have to take sooner or later, and he hoped it would be sooner. Tom was wrapped around Marie's little finger, but still felt like Jameson was keeping some distance.  
After a minute, Jameson opens up a bit. "Tom, do you love my mama?"   
"I do. Very much. And you and your sister, too." Jameson nods at that.  
"I do too. And I don't want my mama to be sad if you leave like my dad did." Tom's heart clenches. This was why he'd felt a distance. He wraps his arms around Jameson and pulls him into his lap.  
"Jameson, you have nothing to worry about. I have no plans to leave your mum the way your dad did. I may have to go away for a while because of my job, but I want you to know you will never have to worry about me making your mum or you or your sister sad like that."  
Jameson processes what he could and nods again. "Okay." "I promise, Jameson. Now, let's go see if your mum is ready." Jameson hops up and leads the way to your bedroom, where you had just finished putting on the last of your jewelry.  
"Come see mummy, she's so pretty!!" As Tom stepped through the doorframe, you gasp. His white button-down and the grey waistcoat you loved. He'd left his hair just a little bit wild. It makes you want to run your fingers through it. He's just as struck by you in your dress, staring with a light smile.  
"You look...amazing." You step towards him and pull him close.  
"So do you."   
~*~  
After dinner, you and Tom walk hand in hand downtown. "This must all be really underwhelming, huh?"  
He looks down to you. "What do you mean?"  
You shrug. "It certainly can't compare to London. I'm sure the nightlife is way more entertaining there."  
Tom smiles a bit and drops his head. "Well...you do have a point there. But the present company more than makes up for any imagined lack of nightlife." Now, it's your turn to smile and blush.  
As you stroll along a bit further, you come upon one of your old stomping grounds, a music venue right on the river called Copper Penny. "Oh my god, I didn't know this place still existed anymore!" The live music drifts out the open door, and you couldn't help but pull Tom in with you.   
Tonight's crowd is much more subdued than you had ever seen when you used to come here. But tonight's musician is different than most. He sits on the stage with just his acoustic guitar and a drummer behind him, a second guitarist on another stool beside him. The floor was wide open in front of them, save for a handful of couples dancing. You grin at the scene. You can't remember the last time you danced with anyone, and you hoped Tom would be in the mood. You needn't have worried though. The singer finishes his song and thanks everyone. "All right, for our next song, we've wanted to do this cover for a while now, and we hope you like it."  
You recognize the opening notes almost immediately. Tom slides up behind you. "May I have the pleasure of this dance, my dear?"  
"Of course." You turn to face him. He snakes an arm around your back and takes hold of your right hand as the song continued. It's a damn good cover of "Kiss Me" by Ed Sheeran. Your bodies sway gently in time together. You try desperately to keep the lump from forming in your throat. 

*Settle down with me  
I'll be your safety  
You'll be my lady

I was made to keep your body warm   
But I'm cold as, the wind blows   
So hold me in your arms*

You hold fast to each other even as the song ends and the other couples break apart. Out of the corner of your eye, Tom is recognized. Part of you is still so nervous about being seen with him, afraid he would change his mind once it got out or deny it all together. "You've been spotted, Tom."  
"We've been spotted. And I say let them look." He leans down to kiss you.  
The singer moves on to Eric Clapton 'Wonderful Tonight'. Tom tucks a stray hair behind your ear, his fingertips caressing your cheek. You lean into his hand. He runs his thumb along your bottom lip.  
"I love you."  
You swallow, overcome with one of those surreal moments. "I love you." He takes your lips in a kiss that reminds you of Hester and Freddie. "Is this really happening? I mean, I'm not in a coma somewhere living out every fangirl fantasy I've ever had about you, am I?"  
"No, darling. No coma. No fantasy. Wonderful reality." You lay your head on his shoulder and sway with him. "Some days, I feel like I've dreamed you and the children into reality." You scoff. "No, my love. You're perfect for me in every way and the children are plucked right out of my dreams." You blink back the happy tears that suddenly spring forth. You sniff. "Darling? Are you crying?"  
"No." Liar.  
Tom lifts your chin. "Baby, why are you crying?" You shake your head and reach to wipe away your tears. Tom catches your wrist and wipes them away himself. "Please. Why are you crying?"  
"Happy tears."  
Tom's eyes search your face to make sure everything is alright. He holds your chin and kisses you softly. The music stops but the two of you continue to sway. "What time are your parents bringing the little ones home?"  
"Tomorrow when they come for the cookout."  
"Then let's go take advantage of an empty house." His fingers trail down your arm then his arm circles your waist. He drops a twenty on the bar to pay for the drinks you barely touched.

You press your head back into bed, arching off the bed. Tom pulls your arms from around his shoulders. His fingertips skim up your soft flesh. His back flexes wonderfully in the moonlight. You glimpse the reflection in the mirror. The way the muscles of his ass clench with each thrust. You groan and close your eyes. His mouth covers yours as his hands covers yours, lacing your fingers together.  
Your feet slip off his waist to rest on his thighs. His slow, hard pace speeds up as you rock your hips to meet his. Your release explodes in a rush of tingling heat and his name screamed to ceiling. Tom squeezes your hands, bearing down harder and deeper. He buries his face in your neck, teeth scraping on your collarbone. He finds his release and pushes you into a second. He falls to the side, trying to catch his breath. "I want to ask you something."  
"Anything."  
He rolls over and props himself above you. "Come home with me to London. Before you say you can't, just for a month. Until school starts for you and the children."  
"Tom, I don't know."  
"Think about it. There's three more weeks of filming. You've welcomed me into your home, made me a part of your little family. I want you to come make my home yours and be a family with me there."  
"I'll think about it."  
"Wonderful."

The next morning you wake up tangled in the sheets and Tom's legs. Your fingertips ghost over his cheekbones and his scars. This still felt like a dream. You move to play with his hair. He sighs and frowns so you stop. You start to slide out of bed but he whines and pulls you tighter against him, hooking a leg around both yours.  
"Nu-uh, we've no children this morning. You're staying right here."  
You cuddle into his chest. "Did you know there's a twitter account for these chest hairs?"  
He chuckles. "I had heard that, yes. What was it Tom's 12 chest hairs?"  
You giggle. "Yea but they're wrong. You have more than 12. But they're scattered all over." You begin playing with his little sporadic tufts of chest hair.  
"We're supposed to be sleeping in."  
You sigh. "Habit." His hand moves down to lift your leg onto his hip. You feel his erection between you. "Oh Thomas." You guide him to your entrance. No prep work or foreplay has left you tight. You clench your teeth and hiss as he works his way in, your body responding immediately. He lifts your leg higher on his waist, finding a different angle. Just as he starts to move, someone knocks on the door. Loudly. And repeatedly.  
You both groan and let your foreheads together. "COMING!"  
"Not now." Tom grumbles and lets you roll away. You tug on a pair of yoga pants and tami then hurry downstairs. Tom pulls on his track pants and comes behind you, hoping that his arousal fades for the moment.  
You throw open the door then immediately try to close it. A strong hand pushes against it and wins, slamming the door back into the wall. You both grunt.  
"Get out of my house."  
"What? Not happy to see me?"  
"You know goddamn well I'm not happy to see you! Get the fuck out of my house!"  
Tom hears you yelling and runs down the stairs. "What's going on?"  
"Nothing. Jimmy was just leaving."  
"No, I wasn't. Don't lie to your limey prick."  
"Hey!"  
"No need for insults, sir." Tom frowns and crosses his arms over his bare chest. "I believe she told you to leave."  
"Leave. Now. Jimmy." Your ex, high school sweetheart, once thought to be the love of your life just stands there. You leave the room and come back in, swinging your shotgun up onto you shoulder and racking a round into the chamber. "Get out. Now."  
"Fine. Fine. I'll go. But I'll see you both around town." He kicks the screen door open. You slam the door behind him.  
"Mom, listen, whatever you do, do NOT let Jimmy into your house or around the kids, okay?" The first thing you could think of as you slammed the door behind Jimmy was your kids. You had to get a jump on him before Jimmy made the rounds.  
"What do you think I am, an idiot? I'd never let that dirtbag in my house. You should know that." You breathe a sigh of relief, knowing at least they'd be all right there for a while.  
"Thanks, mom. We should be ready over here by noon, so whenever you're ready after that, go ahead and come on over." You and your mom say your goodbyes and you flop down on the couch. What the hell was Jimmy doing in town? And to have the balls to show up at your house? You draw up your knees to your chest and rest your chin on them. His surprise appearance put London absolutely out of the question- no way you were leaving the county, let alone the country, with that asshole possibly within arm's reach of your babies.   
Tom's hands slide across your shoulders and massage them. You whine and toss your head back, finding yourself looking directly up at him still in just a pair of track pants. "What the hell? Why is he here now? I should have known he'd pull some shit like this. It's that fucking David's fault." You could have throttled both of them at that moment. And probably run them down with your car, to be honest.  
Tom frowns. "Is there anything I can do, love?"  
You reach up and touch his forearms. "Yes. Don't let that asshole in the house or near the kids."  
"Done."  
Just after noon, your whole family barrels into your house. The noise actually calms you a bit. All the familiar sounds make you feel a bit safer. That and you finally triple lock the front door. Jason carries in the burgers he'd made beforehand, Amy a bowl full of salad, your mom her incredible potato salad, and your dad carries a case of beer for everyone. Jameson and Marie scurry upstairs to get into their swimsuits. As all the food is brought into the kitchen, you introduce Tom to your parents for the first time.  
"It's so wonderful to meet you both. I've heard so much about you."  
Your mom is wary. She knows your history with men. Your dad is much more accepting. He extends his hand and shakes Tom's heartily. "Glad to meet you, Tom. I'm Allan."  
"Allan, an absolute pleasure, sir."   
Your mom slowly extends her own hand. Tom takes it in both of his. It swallows hers up. "Dolores. Nice to meet you."  
Tom beams at her. "The pleasure is absolutely mine, believe me." You watch carefully from the other side of the kitchen counter as your mom softened a bit. It had to have been the British accent, you thought. She nods at Tom then at you.  
The kids come flying down the stairs and out the back door to the pool. "Come on, gamma an' gampa! Let's go swimmies!" Your dad chases right after them, but your mom lingers a moment still unsure. Your heartbeat quickens before she steps away in the direction of the back door.  
When she was out of earshot, you exhale deeply. Jason saunters into the room, having heard the exchange. "Well, he did a lot better than most, wouldn't you say?"  
You smile and shake your head. "Yeah, I'd say so." You walk over to Tom and pull him down for a short kiss. "I'm gonna change into my suit. I'll be right back."  
Tom watches you walk away, and Jason comes further into the kitchen. "Don't worry, man. Our mom's bark is always worse than her bite, especially when it comes to Boots."  
"For a moment there, I was sure she was going to just eat me alive."  
Jason laughs and pats him on the back. "Well, you wouldn't be the first. She's just really protective about her little girl, and her grandkids especially. She's seen her get hurt a lot and even though they aren't especially close, it takes a toll on Mom." Tom nods, completely understanding. Jason sips his beer. "I get the the feeling though, that uh...there's no reason to worry about anything like that. Is there?"  
Tom looks over at your brother, a knowing look on his face. Neither really hold in their smiles. Jason's is knowing while Tom's is a little shy and happy. "I have to admit, you are right about that one, Jason."

You stand on the deck of the pool watching your dad play with Jameson and Marie. You see Tom come up the steps. "Hey baby, everything ok?"  
"Just fine." With a growl, he grabs you around the waist and tackles you into the pool. You barely have time to scream. You come up sputtering. Tom's grin is huge and the kids are giggling like mad, even your dad is losing it. "Forgive me, darling. You looked hot."  
"Oh really?" You jump up and use your body weight to dunk him. He uses those powerful legs to push off and flip you.  
Jason stands on back porch with your mom. "What do you know about him?"  
"He's an actor. He's pretty talented. Lives in London. He's treats her great, mom. The kids adore him." She frowns as she watches the group of you play in the pool.

You tuck Marie in early. Tom, Jason and your dad had worn her out. Jameson sits on Tom's lap in the den. You hear your mom and him talking.  
"What exactly brought you here?"  
"I'm filming in town and in Terre Haute."  
"And when it's done?"  
"I have a few projects lined up stateside."  
"My concern is you're getting awfully attached to my daughter and my grandkids. What happens to them when you leave?"  
"I know she still has a year left of school. I'm not going to disrupt it. I plan to visit when my film schedules allow and when I'm not, I plan to be here."  
"That's a lot of gap, Tom."  
"People have long distance relationships all the time. I love her and I'm willing to do anything to make it work."  
They both look up as you walk in. "Jay's asleep, love. Want me to take him?"  
"No, darling. I'll carry him in there." Your dad jerks awake from where he dozed off on the couch.  
"This old man needs to go to bed. Come on, old woman. Take be home and put me to bed." He stands up and wraps you in a bear hug. "It's nice to see you so happy. Tom seems like a great guy."  
"He is, daddy."  
"Night, pumpkin." He kisses your forehead.  
"You be careful. Night, babydoll." Your mom hugs you tightly. "He seems like a nice man."  
"Night, mama." You close and lock the doors behind them.  
"Darling, I'm going to take a shower." Tom slips up behind you. "Care to join me?"  
"The last time we showered together I wound up with a sprained ankle and hypothermia."  
"I'll keep you warm. I promise."  
"Go ahead without me. I'm just going to check my email."  
"Alright, darling." He kisses your forehead. "You could just join me." You level him with a look. "Right. I'm going."  
You flop into the chair. Nothing but junk in your email. But email was just an excuse to check Tumblr. Sure enough. There were the pictures from Friday night. The comments ran the gammut from "He looks so happy." And "Look at that. They're so in love." To "I hate her." And "lucky bitch." To "I wonder who she is." And "Has this been confirmed? Is it official?" Well, you knew it would happen. You close it with a shakey sigh. This was all so new still. It'd only been two months, but it felt so much longer.  
You hear the shower running. A quick check of all the locks and lights then you head upstairs. Steam fills your bathroom. Tom faces away from you, head down in the spray. You shed your clothes and slide into the shower, wrapping an arm around his chest.  
"Hello darling, glad you decided to join me." Your hands slide down his belly. His breath stutters when you wrap your hand around his hard shaft. He braces a hand against the wall as you stroke him. His hips buck. "Darling. . ." You shush him. You rub your thumb over the swollen purple head, drawing a groan out of him.  
Without a word, you drop to your knees and slide around front. His head leans back as you take him slowly into your mouth, trying to breathe around his size and the water spray. His hips tremble as he fights to stay still. He rests a hand on the back of your head. His groans of pleasure spur you on to lick more and suck him harder. "Shit."  
You wrap a hand around the base of him and stroke with lips and hand. His fingers flex in your hair when you release him to lick down the vein on the underside of his cock. His legs tremble. His whimper is almost lost in sound of the water, but you still hear it as you suck each of his balls into your mouth. The soft skin gliding between your lips. His fingers flex on your wall and in your hair. He urges you faster as you bob up and down on his length. You feel him tighten in your mouth. "I'm sorry- love- Fuck." His hips thrust to meet your mouth. He hits the back your throat and you clamp down on your gag reflex. You hollow your cheeks and suck him harder. His fingers clench in your hair and he holds you down, spurting against the back of your throat. You swallow and stand slowly.  
"No sprained ankle."  
"You little minx." He kisses you, tasting the salt of him in your mouth. His hand dives into your hair again, pulling your wet body against his. His other hand glides down your wet flesh and wraps underneath your ass, his long fingers feeling how wet you are from giving him head.  
"Oh God! Thomas!! Yes!!" You scream into your pillow as Tom ruts into you from behind. He hits your g-spot over and over before reaching around and circling your clit with his long fingers. It's all the prompting you need and you see stars as you cum, clamping down around Tom. He cums deep inside you seconds later, and you both collapse under the weight of your orgasms. You fall asleep tangled in each other, listening to his heartbeat slow.

As you sipped your coffee the next morning on the deck, Tom gently runs his fingers through little sections of your hair. It hasn't yet stopped amazing you how he could be so rough in all the ways you wanted him to be and then so gentle and soft in others. You glance over at him blushing.  
"What is it, darling?"  
You smile. "Nothing, my love." He smiles back and traces little patterns in your upper back.   
"Darling, I have a bit of a surprise for you."  
"Oh yeah? What is it?"   
"Well, I took a look at the filming schedule last week...and it seems we'll actually be taking over a bit of your library on Thursday. It's some of the final shots we need."  
Your jaw drops Your library?? They were going to be filming in your library? "Are you kidding?! I hadn't heard a thing about it!"   
"They kept a lot of things rather hush-hush about this while production, even I didn't know until Friday afternoon. Will you be there? Are you working that morning?"   
"I am now!" It's your biggest Fangirl moment in front of Tom and you blush.  
But he smiles wide. "Good, I want you there. They said something about making sure it looked authentic. And who better for authenticity in a library than its actual head librarian?"   
You bite your lip in excitement. How cool was this?! Your brain starts to wander at what it would be like that day...and quickly devolves into one of the first fantasies you had when you first saw Tom there a few months ago. The hot librarian bent over one of the large study tables after hours by the strong hands of a customer 'who just couldn't pay his late fines'. A delicious chill runs through you and Tom sees it.   
"Are you all right? Are you cold?"  
You shake your head quickly. "No, I'm fine, sweetheart." You take another sip of your coffee. Friday was definitely going to need a late sitter.

Tom strolls in as you're rushing around the house. "Marie! Get your shoes on now! I've told you three times."  
"Darling, are you ok?"  
"No. I fucking forgot Mike's party tonight." You shove your fingers through your hair as Tom frowns. "He flies back to Afghanistan tomorrow."  
"Oh. Well, let me help." Tom disappears upstairs. You open Jameson's door to find him sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up.  
"Baby, come on. We'll be late."  
"I'm not going."  
"Jameson Wayne, you are going. Uncle Mike will be very upset if you don't."  
"But he'll still leave."  
You sigh heavily. Fuck. You drop down behind him and wrap your body around his. He was short for his age but with the size of the boy's feet, he'd likely be a damn tree when hit puberty. "Monkey, going away is part of Mike's job. He's a soldier. He protects people. He keeps bad guys from doing bad things."  
"Mommy, do all men go away from people they love?"  
Double fuck. You squeeze him tighter and rest your chin on his head. "No, not all men."  
"Then why do the men you love go away?"  
There it was. Triple mother fucking fuck. You turn him around and lift his face. "Jameson. Jimmy chose to leave us. Before May may was even born. That was his choice. I can't explain it. Uncle Mike doesn't want to leave us. He does because it's part of the job. But he doesn't love us any less. He brings us presents. Like mommy's winter blanket with the rose on it. And those nifty little toys he gets you and Marie from Europe. Not to mention the letters and pictures." You smooth his hair and wipe the tears from his red face. He must have been crying quietly for a long time.  
"And Tom. What about him? He's going to leave us too."  
"Baby, leaving is part of Tom's job too. He'll visit us when he can and we'll visit him when we can. I've got one more year before I get my degree and-"  
"And then we can go live with him!" Jameson perks up.  
"Well, I don't know about that." He immediately frowns. "That's a year away, baby. Don't worry yourself over it. Let's just enjoy the time left with Tom and then we'll figure out what we're gonna do."  
Tom clears his throat from the doorway. "Everything alright?"  
"For the most part. Go get in the car. We'll be out with Marie in a minute."  
You watch your son drag his feet to the door. Marie looks up at the two of you from holding Tom's hand. "He asked me why men leave the people they love."  
"Oh darling." He wraps his free arm around you and pulls you against him. "You know, my offer for London wasn't just you. It was the children as well." He leans back and searches your face. "Please think about it." You nod. You had been. Every day, in fact. The only wrench was Jimmy. You didn't trust him not to vandalize or burn down your house while you were gone. For now, you'd put on your best smile and go say goodbye to your best friend again.  
It's not easy. Not after Jameson's little speech. But somehow, you manage to pull it together right as you pulled into the parking lot of the hall. You and Tom unload the kids from their carseats, and they tear off in the direction of the front doors. You hear happy music playing inside. 'Let's hope it stays that way,' you think. You stand there a moment longer before Tom takes your hand.  
"Are you all right?"  
You nod and take a deep breath. "Yeah...yeah, I'll be all right." He rubs your knuckles with his thumb before kissing the side of your forehead. You nod one more time before walking towards the door with him.  
Inside, there are people everywhere. It seems the whole town had shown up to see Mike off. He spots you from across the room and waves, beer in hand. "It's good to see he didn't wait for us." You look for the kids and see them in the middle of the dance floor, just like you thought.  
Tom squeezes your hand. "Would you like something to drink, darling?"  
"Sure, whatever you get is fine." Tom squeezes your hand one more time before heading to the drink table. You make a beeline for Mike with the biggest smile you can muster. As much as you hate to see him go, you can't help but be proud of him. It wasn't easy to leave behind everything and everyone you knew and go live in the desert for months at a time. Or go live anywhere people were shooting at you.   
"There she is, finally! I swear girl, you'll be late for your own funeral!"  
You roll your eyes. "Certainly better than being early, though, wouldn't you say?" You grin as he pulls you in for a bear hug.  
"You are way too smart for your own good, you know that?"  
"Yeah, I know...you never had any complaints, though."  
Tom appears beside you, drink in hand. Mike's expression stills but doesn't get dark like it once did. "Tom, good to see you here."  
"It's good to see you again, Mike. This is quite a Do you've got here!" Tom throws a little of his British slang.  
Mike smiles. "Yeah, some of the guys I used to serve with got all this together. One last hurrah, right?"  
He raises his beer bottle, as Tom gives you your drink and you both raise yours. "One more night, right? Let's make it a good one."  
The party really is a lot of fun. The kids spend most of the night on the floor. Jameson proves himself a ladies' man at the tender age of five, stealing dances and cutting in all night. But then again, Marie's feet barely touch the floor. She's passed from one big burly Army guy to another, her pink party dress flouncing everywhere. Your heart swells to see so much love despite the ache it feels underneath.  
You see Jameson from across the floor and bend and wag your finger at him to come to you. He comes running and jumps into your arms. "Let's dance, Mama!" You spin around, laughing with him. He's really the sweetest little boy.  
Tom leans backwards on the bar rail, watching the two of you. He smiles at the sight of two of his favorite people having such a good time. He quickly loses a bit of his own smile as Mike sidles up beside him. There's a few moments of silence between the two men before Mike breaks it. "Uh, listen...I don't know how to say this and make it as eloquent as you probably would, so...I'm just gonna say it. We didn't get off on the right foot, and I'm mostly to blame for that. I don't really apologize for it, though. Boots and those kids mean a lot to me, and I can't stand the thought of them getting hurt." Tom nods, processing Mike's words. "I wasn't lying when I said they're a big part of what keeps me going over there. And the thought of some guy just coming in, and hurting them? I won't stand for it, man." Mike pauses and takes a swig of his drink.  
Tom takes the opportunity to speak. "Mike, I can promise you now, I have no intention of just being 'some guy' in their lives. I would like nothing more than to spend the rest of my life making sure this family receives nothing but everything they deserve, and what she's worked so hard for. But I understand where you're coming from. You don't know me, and you can't trust me if you don't know me. But everything I'm telling you is the truth."  
Mike and Tom both look at each other with sincerity. They believe each other for the first time. Mike drops his head with a laugh and stands from his bar stool. He extends his hand and Tom shakes it earnestly. It may have been the day before Mike left, but at least the two men you loved the most had come to some sort of agreement.  
Sam finds his way up to where the microphone is and stops the music. Everyone looks up and Sam starts his speech. "All right everyone, I just wanted to say a few words here if I could. We're all here tonight to send off one of our finest...of course, that term being used loosely." You can't suppress your giggle. "Mike, we joke, but we're all really proud of you and your service. It means a lot that someone from our little neck of the woods serves this country so well. So thank you very much for your service. And next time, we'll be here throwing a Welcome Home party for you, right?" Sam raises his glass and everyone else follows.   
Sam starts the music back up as he walks away. You find Mike with Tom on the opposite side of the room. You smile at both of them as you recognize the song playing. Mike knew it was one of your favorites and walka over to you. "May I have this dance?" He approaches you with a hand out.  
"Of course." Mike draws an arm around you and takes your hand with his other. Forget Me Not by The Civil Wars plays as the two of you sway back and forth. "Listen...don't do anything stupid over there, all right? If I have to, I'll get on a plane and kick your ass myself if you do."  
Mike laughs out loud. "Me? Do something stupid? How'd you guess?"  
"I'm serious. Don't go over there and fuck around, Mike."  
He drops his smile. "You know I wouldn't do anything like that. I wasn't lying when I said you and the kids keep me going when I'm over there. I wouldn't do anything to screw up like that."  
"Yeah, but it's different this time. You're not just going to some regular base. I mean it, don't be stupid."  
Mike nods and looks over your shoulder. "Look, you should see this." You look behind you and see Tom and Marie dancing. Her little feet rest on his, and she looks up at him with near-reverence. While Tom looks down on the little pink-clad princess in front of him with all the love in the world. Your heart swells and your breath catches. "He really does love you guys, Boots. I can't deny that anymore. I warned him not to fuck it up."  
Your head whips around to him. "What did you say to him?"  
"Calm down. I only told him if he wanted to stay in my good graces, he would treat you and the kids the way you all deserve, and nothing less. That's all."  
You smirk. "You really can be an asshole sometimes."  
He shrugs. "Yeah, but you love it. Come on, let's go cut in."  
The two of you walk over to Tom and Marie. "Dear sweet little bear, may I steal you away?" Mike whispers to Marie as he bends down to her. She drops Tom's hands and wraps her arms around Mike's neck. "I'll take that as a yes." He stands back up.  
You slide your arms around Tom's neck as he wraps you in his. "Hmm, there you are. I've wanted to do this all night."  
You smile. "Me too." Tom gently guides you around the floor. "Mike tells me you two had a little talk?"  
"Yes...it went better than I expected. He cares for you and the kids a great deal."  
"Yeah...he does. He can be a bit of an asshole sometimes, but he really does mean well."  
"I won't speak to that last part, but the second part of that statement is spot-on, love." Tom kisses your forehead and pulls you closer, swaying you gently until the song ends.

You carry Marie up to bed, swiftly changing her into a nightgown and a pull up. You tuck her in and give her puppy kisses. Tom caresses his fingers along your arm as you pass each other, switching rooms.  
Jameson is already in his Captain America pjs and cuddled up with penguin pillow pet. That's how you knew he was still upset. It would take him a few days to recover from Mike going back overseas. Having Tom here would be a big help. You sit on the floor next to the bed and watch him sleep for a minute, brushing the hair out of his face. You see Tom's feet in the doorway out of the corner of your eye. You kiss your son's forehead then stand up.  
"I need a drink." Tom rubs your back as you descend the stairs.  
"Are you sure you're alright, darling?"  
You shake your head as you pour a glass of wine for the both of you. "No, I'm not alright." Your heels click as you make sure the front door is locked and head upstairs. Despite an early morning for the both of you, after you change into pajamas, you sit on the bed and talk.  
"Mike was the one holding my hair when I had morning sickness. Jimmy couldn't be bothered. I don't know how many times he threatened to cut off my ponytail so he didn't have to keep me from throwing up on it." You laugh softly. "Mike was in the delivery room with Jameson. It should have been Jimmy. But we couldn't find him. To this day, I don't know where he was at. I don't want to know, really." Tom rubs your knee. "It was after I found out I was pregnant with Marie that Jimmy decided to run. And Mike was there. He helped me with everything until he got shipped out to Iraq. That's why he wasn't there for Marie's birth. But you'd have thought she was his the way he carried on." Tears prick yours eyes. "Every time, Tom. Every single time he leaves for the desert I'm terrified he won't come back." You dissolve into tears. Without a word, Tom takes your wine glass and sets it on the nightstand with his own. His large hands smooth your hair as he hushes your sobs, rocking you back and forth.  
"I can't imagine that, darling. Being that close to someone and having to worry about them." He tucks your head under his chin and rubs your back. "If you want me to stay after filming, I will. I have some business in LA and London that could take a week or so but then I'll come back."  
You sniff and shake your head. "No, don't do that." You wipe your eyes. "Don't give up your home for us."  
He cups your face with both his hands and turns you to look at him. "Darling, you are my home." The look in his eyes absolutely kills you and the tears start anew.  
"I love you."  
"I love you, darling." His thumbs wipe away your tears. "I'll do whatever needs to be done to make you happy. To make this work." He takes a shuddering breath. "Now that I've found you, I can't imagine my life without you."  
You find everything you want and need in his eyes. The weight of it is almost too much. "Yes."  
"Yes what, love?"  
"Yes, we'll go to London."  
His infectious smile breaks. "That's wonderful! I'll get the plane tickets for you and the kids first thing tomorrow." He barely contain his excitement. "I'll change my flight to LA to return to Indianapolis and meet you and the children there. And we'll fly out from there." He kisses you eagerly. And again. And again but deeper and slower, pulling you into his lap. When the kiss breaks, you're both breathless and anxious. You reach between you and find him hard. He groans at your touch, his hands move from the side if your face into your hair, clenching tightly.  
Tom lifts his hips as you tug the track pants down to free him. His mouth hovers before yours as you guide him to you. You'd given up wearing panties to bed. They'd either been ripped off or taken off every night at some point so why bother. You slide onto him slowly, keeping eye contact with him. He licks his lips. Impatience gets the better of him and thrusts upwards, filling you as much as he can at this angle. You gasp and bow your back.  
"Come back here." He uses his hands in your hair to bring your face back to his. "Don't look away, darling. I want to see your beautiful face writ with pleasure."  
"You're killing me."  
"Then we'll die together."  
You match him thrust for thrust, gritting your teeth to keep from waking the children with your screams and moans. Tom finally takes your lips, kissing away your moans and gasps with his own. He releases a handful of hair to slide between you. A few flicks of your clit and you're cumming, gasping his name. Your body tightens around his cock, thighs around his waist. He thrusts a few more times before he cums, squeezing his hands in your hair and at your waist. Without a word, you lay down, snuggling back into the cave of his chest and arms. He pulls the blankets up over you, tucking his face in your neck.  
Words couldn't describe how you made him feel. Sometimes, he felt like he was dreaming. Like he'd wake up alone in London and this was all just a fantasy. But then he'd wake up in yours arms, with your crazy bed hair that was no doubt a combination of sleep hair and sex hair. And he knew without a doubt that he loved you. As romantic as it was, he never believed in love at first sight. Until he walked into your library. You'd had your hair up in ponytail and glasses on, leaned over helping someone. You'd looked up and he swore his heart stopped. He wanted to talk to you, to know you. To kiss the lip that you bit, when you no doubt recognized him. But your beauty, inside and out, had him feeling like he was in school again, awkward and shy. So researching his role also became discovering you. He spent half his time just watching you work. Looking back, it was probably a creepy thing to do but he wanted to see you laugh and smile and love your job. The way your body looked in the seemingly ever changing style of clothes you wore. You mentioned those surreal moments and how lucky and blessed you felt to get HIS attention and affection, but you'd never know how much he felt the same way.


	8. Chapter 8

Marie cries out in the night. You start to get up and pull away but Tom squeezes you. His voice is groggy and dead sexy when he speaks. "I'll get her."  
The house is quiet enough that you can hear them talk.  
"Princess?"  
"I had a bad dweam."  
"It's alright, May may. It wasn't real, sweetheart."  
"Can I seep wif you and mummy?"  
"Of course. Come here, baby." You scoot and roll over as Tom appears in the doorway with Marie in his arms. She practically jumps out of his arms to snuggle into the bed. Tom lays down on the other side of her, facing you. You look up as a floorboard creaks.  
Jameson stands shyly at the end of the bed with his penguin. "Can I sleep with you guys too?"  
"Of course, monkey." He climbs up in bed as you and Tom both scoot out towards the edge.  
"And this would be why you have a king size bed."  
"Exactly." Jameson settles next to you, Marie next to Tom. Underneath the pillows, Tom takes your hand, lacing the fingers so he's still touching you. Just before you drift off to sleep, you open your eyes to see all 3 of them asleep. Your chest clenches with how happy you are. Once again, one of those surreal moments. Tom's thumb caresses the back of your hand and you notice the content smile on his face. You cuddle closer to Jameson, the happiest woman on the planet.

"Ughhh, this one doesn't look right either!" You look in the mirror and stomp your foot. It was Thursday, the day an entire film crew would be sprawling all over your library. In your head, even though they hadn't asked you to appear on camera, you still want to make a good impression. And the fact that none of your outfits were actually coming together for some reason does little to calm you down.   
"Darling, what's the matter? What's all this fuss about?"  
You groaned again. "Nothing looks good and I hate all my clothes today. Everything looks ridiculous!" You look up and se Tom's reflection in the mirror. He has crossed his arms and is leaning against the door jamb, giving you that raised-eyebrow look he was so good at.  
"Sweetheart, you could wear a bin bag and you would look amazing. Just calm down. Why are you so panicked about it today?"  
"Because, today is the day the whole film crew comes, right? I just want to make a good impression and not look like some slob. I want to make sure I can actually be of some help if they need it and that I don't look like a complete moron and-"   
Tom comes up behind you and wraps his arms around you. "You are positively adorable when you're flustered, do you know that?"  
You sigh and drop your head to the side. "I just don't want to make you look like an idiot. I mean, they know about me. They must. They know you've been staying here the whole time." Tom nods. "I just want to make sure I do my part to make you proud...you know?"  
Tom turns to kiss your ear. "I know exactly what you mean. But I'm telling you, you could wear your old yoga pants and my ratty t-shirt from under the bed and you would still be incredible. But...if you really want to dress for me, and ONLY if you want to...you know I love that green dress."   
You turn to come face-to-face with him and smile. "Thank you for talking me off that crazy ledge. Now go get my dress."

Everything that morning was an absolute flurry in the library. Areas were roped off everywhere, and the crew had even taken over the break room. The only portion that was untouched was the children's section. You find a bit of a respite there at lunch time. You didn't realize how loud filming actually was when the camera wasn't rolling, and the noise echoed through the entire building.   
It's amazing to watch them at work. There's a role for everyone on- and off-camera. They all seem to fit together seamlessly. You watch from the second floor children's loft as Tom and the other actors run through the scene. When the director calls for a break, Tom spots you and smiles. You jerk your head back to signal him to come join you upstairs. With no effort, he climbs the stairs two at a time to you. After quick kisses, you both settle onto the soft carpet where you usually read at story time.  
"How is it all going down there?"  
"Wonderfully, actually. My character is really getting exciting to play, and these are some of his most crucial scenes." Tom beams.  
You smile back. "It looks so cool, watching all that going on down there. I never realized just how much work and how many people it takes."  
"Well, the entire crew and even the director have told me just how wonderful this space is. It works perfectly for us." Tom takes your hand and gives it a small kiss.  
Biting your lip, you have a flash of your fantasy again. How would you get it into reality? "So, how late will you guys be here today?"  
"We've still got a bit to go today then some final shots tomorrow. How come?"  
You grin and blush and look away a bit. "No reason, baby." But Tom certainly knows that look. And has an idea of what was going on in that little head of yours...

"Thanks, Amy. And you're ok with keeping them all weekend?"  
"Yea. I need to get used to having kids around all the time. I mean if that test wasn't a false positive."  
"When do you go to the doctor?"  
"Next Wednesday."  
"Let me know. Is Jason going with you?"  
"No, he can't get off work."  
"Bummer. Ok. Just let yourself in and grab their clothes. Remember Charles or Marie will hand a coneption fit."  
"Got it. She loves that bear."  
"And don't forget to lock it. With Jimmy in town, I don't trust him."  
The film crew finishes up for the day. Leaving Tom to knock on your office door. "Ready to leave, sweetheart?"  
"Everyone done?"  
"Just about."  
"Good." You saunter past him, tucking something into the pocket of his jeans. You lock the doors behind the last crew member. Tom pulls the wad of clothe out of his pocket. It unfurls into the panties you were wearing this morning. With a growl, he shoves them back in and stalks to you.  
"You love teasing me, don't you."  
Without a word, his lips crush words, forcing your mouth open for his tongue. He backs you up against a bookcase. You whimper in delight, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. He presses his growing erection into your apex, lifting your leg up to his waist so he can grind it into the most tender part of you.  
"We're not going to make it to the house."  
"We don't need to. We're the only ones here."  
"Fantastic!" He lifts your other leg and carries you to one of the tables out of view of the doors and front windows. "Dear librarian." He kisses down your throat, pulling you to the edge of the table. "I need a book on anatomy."  
"Well, if you're a tactical learner, hands on is the best way."  
"Good point. You're so smart." He pulls the top of your dress down to bare your breasts. "What are these little cherries?" Tom licks and sucks your nipples to hard peaks. "Aside from tasty."  
"Areola."  
He pushes the skirt up to your hips. The back of his hand brushes your labia. You take a deep breath. "And this soft treasure?"  
"La-labia."  
"Oh really. And this?" He slips two fingers inside you. His lips trace your collarbone.  
"Oh,darling, that's a vagina."  
"Darling? Am I rubbing off on you?"  
"I wish you would." He ehehehehe's.  
"Only one more." His thumb passes over your clit. "This little pearl of pleasure."  
Your body shudders. "That-" His partially open mouth hovers over yours. "That's a clitoris."  
"And this?" He unzips his zipper to free himself.  
"-is a penis." He slides inside you.  
You gasp and moan as he begins to move. His mouth hovers over yours. His eyes never leaving yours either. His knees hit the table with each thrust. "My naughty librarian." He takes your lips, long and slow.  
"Shhh! No talking in the library."  
"Yes ma'am." His mouth hovers over yours again. You loved that. And the way he licks his lips. Jesus. He presses your clit until you're bucking against him. Your body clenches around him as your orgasm tears through you. Tom grunts as he finds his. He kisses you deeply and pushes you back onto the table.  
"Dear god, woman, I can't get enough of you."  
You laugh and wrap your arms and legs around him. "So Amy and Jason are keeping the kids into Monday."  
"I get the whole weekend to make love to you?"  
"We get the whole weekend to do whatever we want."  
"Fantastic."  
You lose count of how many times and on how many surfaces you and Tom were together that weekend. But suffice it to say, it's non-stop. You're pretty sure the neighbors almost called the cops for a noise violation. But for a few days, you're grateful to have Tom all to yourself.  
By Sunday afternoon, the two of you are absolutely worn out. Lying on the couch together, you're sore. And dehydrated. And in need of a long, calming shower. Tom looks pretty worse for wear, too. He strokes your back as you rest your head in the middle of his chest. "We have to eat something, babe." You don't really want to actually get up and get something. You play with a little patch of fabric on Tom's shirt.  
"That would mean actually having to get up, wouldn't it?"  
You nod. "Yeah...unfortunately." At that moment, your stomach growls and neither of you stifle a laugh. "I guess we really do have to get up." You push yourself off of Tom. He watches you stand and moves to sit up himself.  
"You take the first shower, darling. I'll get in when you're getting ready." You lean over to give him a kiss then loll up the stairs to scrub. Tom lays on the couch for another moment before finally stretching and standing up. He walks to his little stack of books and his guitar in the den and picks out the second to last in the pile. He opens it up to about the middle and plucks out an embossed card, printed in black ink with elegant scrolling typeface.   
'The Publishers of The Evening Standard request the company of your presence on Sunday 15th August, for The Evening Standard Awards Ceremony and award recipient reception to follow.   
Event is invitation only. Invitees may bring one guest. Photo Call begins at 5PM'  
After reading it a few times, he looks after the direction of the stairs. He has wanted to ask you to come for a while now, and it's even part of the whole reason he wants you to come with him to London. Even if this trip will be temporary. Tom isn't sure if you will agree to it. Its asking a lot. It will be confirming your relationship, erasing all doubt about the two of you. It will mean putting you in his spotlight. He didn't care one bit about sharing it. He's wanted someone -you- to share it with. But are you be willing to leap into the spot? He's gone back and forth on the idea.  
When Tom hears the shower cut off, he tucks the card back into the book and buries the book back in the pile. As you step out of the shower, Tom is there to wrap a towel around you from behind. "Baby, you're too good to me."  
"Hardly." He leans in for a kiss and you place your hand on his cheek. He really is so sweet, about everything.  
"Did you think of a place for dinner?"  
"Hmm, I did love that little place around the corner, Cafe 100? How does that sound?"  
"Delicious."  
"Wonderful. I'll get all cleaned up, and we'll go."   
You bite your lip. "You dirty boy..."  
Tom reaches down and squeezes your ass. You yelp as he half-growls in your ear, "Keep talking like that and we'll never make it to the restaurant, darling."

 

You look at yourself in the mirror for the hundredth time. The purple bandana in your hair set off the purple flowers on the white dress. The yellow polka-dot pumps made the little yellow flowers on the dress pop.  
Tom thumps down the stairs rolling up his sleeves, the waistcoat buttoned flat against his abdomen. He slips up behind you. "Absolutely stunning, darling." His lips trace the line of your neck. "I can't wait to show you off."  
You laugh. "Thomas, nearly everyone in this town has seen me in nearly everything I own."  
He scoffs. "I haven't. And sweetheart, love makes you glow. You're practically radiating." You grab your clutch purse and open the door.  
Jimmy looks up from taking a piss in your flowers. "Well hello! About time you two stopped fucking long enough."  
"Let's go, Tom. We don't want to get caught in the dinner rush." You pull the door shut and look it. Tom takes your elbow and leads you past your ex, using his body as a shield.  
"Get your fucking hands off her!" Jimmy grabs Tom's arm and jerks him away. Tom shakes him off.  
"Jim, you need to leave. She has made it clear that you're not welcome here."  
"'Jim'? Are you fucking kidding me?" He stumbles.  
"Jamestown Nathaniel Blake, go to wherever you're calling home and sleep it off!"  
"I'm not drunk. And I'm not leaving."  
Tom turns to you. "Get in the car and call the police."  
"I'll call Wade."  
You move around to the other side of the Jag and dial Wade's number. "Hey beautiful!"  
"Hey Wade." Thank god he answered on the first ring. "We've got a problem."  
"What's up, babe?"  
"Jimmy's here."  
"I'll be right over."  
You hang up. Tom turns back to Jimmy, who sucker punches him. "Hey!"  
You kick off your heels and drop your purse. Tom touches his lip, coming away with blood. "That's your only free shot." He falls back into a practiced capoeira stance.  
"Oh ho! Big shot. Come on, hit me!"  
"Thomas, don't. He's just baiting you."  
"Didn't I tell you to get in the car?"  
Jimmy takes advantage of Tom's distraction to get closer. Before he can get another cheap shot, you slug him in the jaw. Tom stands up straight, taken by surprise. You shove Jimmy away. "Get off my property now." Jimmy snatches ahold of your hair and yanks you close.  
"You're mine! Always!"  
Tom shoves Jimmy away from you but Jimmy doesn't let go, ripping out a chunk of your hair.  
"Not anymore. Never again." Tom wraps his arms around you.  
"She's mine. You had your chance. And threw them away."  
The cop car rolls up lights and sirens blazing. Wade jumps out as soon as the car stops. "On the ground, Jimmy. Now!" Wade draws his gun. "You two ok?"  
You nod but you can feel warmth on your neck where he pulled the hair out by the roots. And you can see a bruise blossoming on Tom's cheekbone. "We're filing charges. Assault."  
Wade reads Jimmy his rights as he cuffs him. He shoves him into the back of the squad car. "Let me take pictures real quick. You two need to come by the station to give your statements."  
"Tomorrow."  
"Yes, babydoll, tomorrow is fine. He's not going anywhere. He's wanted in connection to a missing girl in Washington and a dead girl up in Alaska."  
"What the fuck?"  
"Yea. Seems he's been staying out of trouble until the girl's death just before he showed up here."  
"I knew he was violent, Wade. But he was never violent with me."  
"Only the once."  
"Right. He never hurt Jameson either. Just other people."  
"I don't know, babydoll. Go take care of yourselves and enjoy your evening."  
Tom retrieves your heels and purse and ushers you back to the house. You slam the door shut behind you and throw the lock. A missing girl? And a dead girl?! You're horrified. You knew Jimmy could get violent, but you never figured it would go that badly.  
You press yourself against the cool metal of the front door. Lost in thought and still trying to process what just happened, you barely flinch when Tom places an ice pack on the back of your head. You look up at him and see his cut lip and the redness on his cheek getting worse. You reach up to touch it but draw your fingers back before you do. "Look what he did you, baby...."  
"It's fine. I'll be all right. Turn around, let me see your head." Tom gently cups your chin and pushes your hair aside. Your bandana had fallen off in the tussle outside. "Ohh darling. Your poor scalp, it's all red."  
You sob under the weight of it all. You've never been attacked like that before, least of all by Jimmy. You'd seen him get a little too rough with guys before. But he was never like that with you or Jameson.  
Tom wraps his arms around you and pulls you to him, keeping you from falling. "Hey, hey, it's all right. He's gone now. It's okay, my sweetheart."   
You couldn't hold in your cries. "No! It's not okay! It's not! What am I gonna tell my kids? What if he had hurt them? Did he hurt Jameson and I didn't know?! He hurt you. Look at you!" You pull back and take Tom's face in your hands. He looks worried, for you. You ghost your thumb over his cheek near his eye and watch as he does his best not to flinch. He reaches up with his free hand and wipes the tears from your cheeks away. His other hand holds firm to the ice pack and your new bald spot.  
"Look at me. It's all right. He's not coming back here any more, okay? I think Wade will see to that, you know that. Jimmy is gone, love. I'm here and you are fine."  
You swallow and take a deep breath. Tom is right. Jimmy won't be back anytime soon. Jameson has never showed any signs that Jimmy had ever touched him. You nod quickly, and Tom pulls you back up, all but carrying you to the kitchen. He tucks you into the corner made by the counter and brings your hand up to hold your ice pack to your head. He sets about making tea, knowing it would help comfort you a little bit.   
Later that night, as you both crawl into bed, you stay as close as possible to Tom. You're terrified something will happen. You don't know what, though. Its probably all in your head. But you could still feel Jimmy's hands in your hair, pulling you away from Tom.  
You fall into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning until almost 2 a.m. You must have been having a bad dream, because the next thing you realize, Tom pulls you back to the mattress, stroking your back. "It's all right, shhh. It's okay, darling. It's fine. Just go back to sleep. I'm right here. I always will be..."

~*~

Jameson and Marie run around the back yard. He's pretending he's the Green Lantern again and she's created a heroine who's power is ballet. You draw your knees up. Your melancholy fades as you hear Tom's Jag pull into the driveway. You sip your tea and finish painting your toenails.  
The screen door squeaks as Tom joins you on the back porch. "For the love of God, how can you sit out here in the heat?"  
"It's really the humidity that's awful." Tom drops onto the swing.  
"I had to change. This Indiana heat is like nothing I've experienced."  
You laugh. "Well, you know what they say about Indiana weather."  
"What's that, love?"  
"Wait ten minutes. It'll change." You shift to lean on Tom, whose arm curls around your shoulder. "So we have a problem."  
"What's that?"  
"I looked in to getting passports for the kids and I. It's going to take 4 weeks."  
"Shit."  
"Right. And we have to go to Chicago to the passport agency."  
"Fuck. I don't have a break in filming for another few days."  
"I know." Tom's hand rubs your shoulder. "I can go by myself. You'll just be stuck here by yourself for a day or two."  
He sighs. "Absolute torture."  
You elbow him. "I already switched my schedule at work. The kids and I will be leaving first thing in the morning. I've got all the paperwork ready."  
He leans you up. "You're amazing, you know that?" You blush. "Ok then. Another change of plans. I'll fly to LA and take care of business then head to London." He sighs. "Then I'll be back here until your passports come through."  
"I'm sorry. I never thought it would be this big of a hassle."  
He kisses your forehead. "Hush. So our month in London turns to a two week holiday for you and the children. At least it still gives me time to show you off round London town."

The next morning, you sip your coffee in the kitchen while Marie and Jameson eat their cereal. You watch them play lightly while thinking. You hope you wouldn't have to tell them anything related to Jimmy for a long time. Like they needed any more change. Tom saunters into the kitchen interrupting your thoughts. As he pours his own cup, he leans to kiss you.  
Like usual, you hear a small giggle come from Marie. "Tom kissed mummy again!" You can never bite back your laugh at her.  
"Mummy tells me you lovely children are going to Chicago today?"   
Jameson gets excited. "Yeah! We're gonna get passports and see the Sears Tower and maybe even the ferris wheel at the pier!"  
"The ferris wheel?! My goodness, you have a big day ahead of you, young man!"   
"I wanna see the park!"  
"Okay guys, calm down. We have plenty of time to worry about what to see if we have time. It's a three hour drive just to get there."   
The kids settle down and Tom turns back to you. "Where are you staying?"  
"At the Wyndham Riverfront. I got a decent rate for being last minute, and it looks like it's right down from the passport agency building."  
"Just be careful, darling. I don't want anything to happen to you while I'm not there." Tom still worries about the whole incident with Jimmy. It makes you smile. This wasn't the first time you'd taken them into Chicago by yourself, so you didn't really have anything to worry about you thought.  
"We'll be fine, baby. I'll call you when we get there and check-in, okay?"  
Tom nods and finishes his coffee. Marie and Jameson finish too. He helps you load them and their bags into your car. Tom buckles Marie into her carseat. "All right little ones, listen carefully. I want you to stay close to mummy and listen to everything she says, okay? I don't want my loves getting hurt."  
"See, now you're just scaring them."  
Tom looks at you half-serious and you drop your smile. He runs a hand through your hair and rests it on the back of your neck, careful to avoid your tender new spot. "I can't help it. I don't like that I can't come with you and be there if something happens."  
"Nothing is going to happen, baby. We'll be fine. I've done this several times before. They know what to do." Tom drops his gaze and you slide your hands around his waist. "It's very sweet, though, for you to worry. It's one of those things I like about you." That makes him smile, and he pulls you in for one more hug before you leave.  
"I love you, darling, I'll miss you so much. All three of you."  
"We'll only be gone one night. I love you, too." Tom opens your car door and you hop into your seat. After getting buckled in, he leans in for one more kiss before shutting your door. As you drive off, you watch Tom get smaller and smaller in your rearview. Truth be told, you're nervous to be leaving town and really wish Tom could have come. But you're an adult…well, you used that term loosely, anyway.

“Checking in?” The young woman behind the desk smiles blankly at you as you struggle up to the desk. Two children in a car for over three hours did not a good idea make.  
“Yes, I am.” Marie has gotten too antsy to be still for more than ten seconds and won’t stop running away, while Jameson won’t stop whining and hanging on you. He hardly lets go long enough to let you get anything out of your purse. “I’m sorry, they’ve been in the car too long.” The clerk didn’t seem too impressed. She obviously doesn’t have kids.  
You tell her your last name and hand her your copy of the reservation. She clicks a few buttons on her computer as you grapple with Marie and Jameson. “You guys, stop it. We have too much to do today for all this.” Things really start getting to you. You miss Tom and are still stressed about everything that had happened a few days before. You take a deep breath and run your hand through your hair. ‘Get it together, girl. It’s one night. You’re being an idiot.’  
After a moment, the girl looks up from her computer. “It seems your reservation has been changed.”  
“What?!”  
“Yes…it looks like you’ve been upgraded, to our Deluxe Suite. And your reservation has been paid for my a Mr…Hiddleston?” She slides your keys across the counter after writing your room number on the envelope. You hardly hear a word she says after that.  
You and the kids step into the elevator. Fortunately, all their clothes fit into one bag with yours, so you don’t have to carry all kinds of stuff. The doors open and the kids tear down the hallway to the room. “Mommy, open the door! Open the door!"  
“I’m coming, Jameson, hang on!” You hustle down the hallway and slip the key from the envelope. The door pops open and Marie and Jameson enter to check it out. Your jaw hits the floor. It's beautiful. The view is fantastic and the beds were enormous. The front parlor is ridiculous. And you have a good feeling you'll be cracking into that minibar later tonight.  
You pull your phone out and open a text message.   
*We just got here…and are the recipients of an unheard of upgrade. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you? ;)*  
After a few seconds, your phone chimes. *I’m glad you’re there safely. And me? Know about an upgrade? Certainly not -T*  
You smirk at your phone. *I love you. And miss you.*  
*I love you too. And I can’t wait for you and the children to return. -T*

After a quick nap, you make the trip to the passport agency and turn in the required documentation. You take the kids out to dinner Lou Malnati's for pizza. By the time you return to the hotel, they're ready for baths and bed.  
You tuck Marie in the middle of the bed. She hasn't let go of Charles the Buckingham bear since you left home. Now is no exception. "Mummy, I miss Tom."  
"Would you like me to call him?"  
Jameson jumps into bed. "Yea!" You tuck him in next to his sister.  
"You guys really like him, huh?" They nod. "Ok, I'll call him." You walk into the main room of the suite and grab your phone off the table and dial Tom's number.  
"Why hello, my lovely librarian."  
"Hello, my charming Englishman." You both listen to the other breathe for a moment. "I have a little princess and superhero here that want to tell you goodnight."  
"By all means, put them on."  
You hand the phone to Jameson first. "Hi Tom. Mom said we'll be home tomorrow before you get done at work. - We're gonna go see the otters! - I miss you. Night, Tom. Love you." He hands the phone to Marie.  
"Hi Tom! Mummy took us for peesa. It was weurd. The stuffs was inside it! And Charles didn't yike it. Too mess-y he said. You eated dinner right?" You could imagine him saying 'yes, princess'. "Now you be good and we be home uhmorrow. - I yove you. Night, daddy."  
You blink, your mouth in perfect o. You take the phone Marie is shoving in your face. "Uh, hang on, Tom." You kiss their cheeks and turn out the light, closing the door behind you. You look at the ceiling. Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck fuck. You take a deep breath then lift the phone to your ear. "Hey, baby."  
"Hello, darling. Are you alright?" You can hear the tension in his voice. Great.  
"I'm fine. It's just been a long day and I miss you."  
"Same here."  
You decide to just rip it off like a bandaid. "I'm sorry Marie called you that."  
"Called me what? Daddy?"  
Oh god, it was even more mortifying from him. "Yes, that. She hasn't had a father figure in her life."  
"My love, it's alright. She's been doing it for a while now."  
"She has?"  
You practically hear the smile in his voice. "It's been our little secret. At first, I wasn't sure how to take it, but I plan on being in her life for a good long while. Possibly as her father one day." Your chest squeezes and you have to sit. Heavily. On the couch. "Sweetheart? Are you there?"  
"I - I'm here."  
"I hope I didn't scare you."  
"No. No." You lean back on the couch.  
"Good. Now, how was your day?"  
You sigh and settle onto the couch. "Long. The kids started getting restless by the time we got here. The passport office made me want to strangle someone."  
"You sound exhausted."  
"I am. I want nothing more then to crawl into bed with you."  
"My dear, we wouldn't get much sleep."  
"Oh fuck you, Hiddleston. Why'd you have to tease me like that?"  
"That's precisely what I want to do."  
"Tom, please-"  
"Begging? My darling, that is exquisite. Perhaps when you return, I'll have you on your knees, begging me properly."  
Your face flushes and your breath picks up. "Thomas, have you been drinking?"  
"Yes, a bit more than I've intended. But I couldn't sleep. The bed felt so big and lonely without you. So I had a glass of whiskey and read a bit on your computer."  
"My computer?"  
"Yes." Your heart and stomach sink. "Your fan fiction."  
"Tom, you promised." You bury your face in your hands. "I'm so embarrassed. No, embarrassed doesn't cover it. Mortified is more like it."  
"Darling, you're talented. I could see everything in my head. Which is why I drank a bit much. But it did nothing to quell this hard on."  
"Wait. What?" You pause.  
"My love, I am so unbearably hard right now. I want to do everything you've written about. Especially the blow job in the Jag."  
"Fuck." Your head drops.  
"That too. My favorite was you and I in the grass after a run." His voice is ragged with drink and desire. "Are you alone?"  
"The kids are in the other room."  
"Fantastic. Are you wet? Has my rambling turned you on?"  
"Yes I'm wet. Your voice is delicious, especially with this tone."  
"Hmmmm, will you touch yourself for me?"  
"Tom-"  
"Baby. I miss you. Please."  
You sigh, feeling an eager tension building in you. Your voice is low with anticipation. "Let me take a shower. I've got today all over me."  
"I wish I was all over you."  
You groan. "Oh Tom."  
"I love it when you say my name."  
"I'll call you back as soon as I'm out of the shower."  
"Don't put your knickers on."  
You take a quick shower, snapping a few wet teases for him. You barely settle on the couch before he's calling you. "Eager?"  
"Indubitably. Your teasing will not go unpunished." Your phone vibrates the arrival of text messages. One is of him glittery eyed and flushed. The second is his lower body with his knees bent and his erection making a tent. The third is his hand down his boxers, those long fingers wrapped tightly around his cock.  
"You are a naughty man."  
"But you love me."  
"I do."  
"Are you still wet?"  
"After those pictures, oh yes."  
"Mmmm." His breath quickens. "Are you touching yourself?"  
You slip your fingers between your lips. "Yes. Are you?"  
"Yes. I'm thinking of you. Above me. Your breasts bouncing as you ride me."  
"Is that what you want when I get home?"  
"God, yes." He grunts and you close your eyes imagining him stroking himself. You sigh and rub your clit in circles. "What are you thinking of?"  
"You. Right now."  
"Not me and you?"  
"No." You sigh and roll your hips. "You getting off thinking of me. Stroking your cock, wishing it was my pussy."  
"You are so incredibly hot. I'm a lucky man."  
"Shut up and let me hear you moan and cum."  
"Yes, ma'am." His moans and grunts turn you on even more. Your fingers tease your clit out of its hood and rub harder. "Yes, love. Cum for me." Your breath comes faster. You bite your lip, whimpering. Your hips pushing against your hand. He gasps and groans. "Oh fuck. Oh yes."  
"Oh fuck. Oh Thomas." Your orgasm explodes in a hot rush. You fall limp against the couch.  
"Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine."  
"Go to bed, baby."  
You curl into a ball on the couch. "Will you stay on the phone with me? Until I fall asleep?"  
"Yes, my love." You rest your head on your arm, tugging your tee, actually Tom's sky blue Coriolanus sparring tee, down over your bare bottom. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow."  
"I'll hurry home after we go to the Shedd."  
"I love you, darling. I'm so lucky to have found you."  
"I love you, Tom. You'll never know how much." You listen to his breathing and fall asleep together. Tom must have woken up at some point and ended the call when he heard your steady breathing.


	9. Chapter 9

"Mummy!! Wook at the bah-woo-gas!! Come wook quick!!" The three of you enter the beluga whale exhibit. She runs to the front of the crowd, pressing her hands to the glass with wide eyes. Jameson follows behind, tapping lightly on the glass. "Jameson, no sir! You know the rules, you're not allowed to disturb them like that!"  
"Sorry, mommy. I won't do it again!" You shoot him a little look to let him know you mean business before planting a kiss on the top of his head. You watch them as one of the whales swims slowly up to the glass wall. Marie jumps up and down.   
"Mummy, he's coming right to me!"  
"I know, I'm watching, I see him!"  
The whale weaves back and forth, and both Marie and Jameson mimic him. They both giggle as they wobble left to right, and you pull your phone out to catch a quick video. Marie shows no fear as the beluga opens his mouth right in front of her, while Jameson shrieks and jumps backwards. Marie presses a small kiss to the glass.  
"Mummy, I gave him a kiss!" she shouted.   
"I saw, baby! You're so silly!" You let them play a few minutes longer. "We have to get going, okay? We have to get home before Tom like we told him last night." They nod, and Marie waves to her new friend through the glass.   
"Bye, baby bah-woo-ga, I sees you next time!" The beluga turns onto its side and waves his flipper at her and Jameson. Their eyes double in size and their jaws drop.   
"Oh my gosh!! Mommy, he just waved to us!!"  
~*~  
You dance in the kitchen while preparing dinner. The kids are in the playroom, getting out the last of their energy before they go to bed after dinner. Your eyes light up and a smile takes your lips as you hear Tom's car pull into the driveway. There is no way you could mistake that engine.   
Seconds later, he bursts trough the door, searching for you and finding you leaned against the counter waiting for him. In too few steps, he reaches you. He bends and picks you up from the back of your thighs, wrapping you around him. You yelp and laugh at his absolute silliness before he devours your lips. You wrap your arms around his neck, lacing your fingers into his hair. After a moment, he pulls away, breathless.   
"I missed you so, you have no idea."  
"Oh, I think I know now. We were only gone for one night, baby. You couldn't have missed us that much."  
"I can and I did. It was far too quiet all alone, without you. And those beautiful children."  
"What are you planning on doing when you have to go to LA and London for two weeks?"  
"I'll surely go out of my mind, that's what."  
You laugh again. "No wonder you did so well in drama class, Thomas."  
He moans against your lips as he kisses you again. "I love when you say my name, say it again."  
"Thomas. William. Hiddleston." You punctuate every word with a kiss. And you think for a moment he's going to take you on the counter right there, with the stove on and the kids upstairs in full hearing range.  
Tom rests his forehead against yours and you both enjoy the peace for a moment. "I am so glad you're back home with me."  
"Me too."  
The moment ends abruptly as you hear small feet come down the stairs, one at a time. That's how you know its Marie. Her little legs could only step one stair at a time. She comes around the corner and her eyes brighten. "Daddy is home!" She runs over to him and wraps her chubby arms around his leg.  
Tom lets go of you to pick her up. "There's my princess! I missed you so much!"   
The whole daddy thing still kinda blows your mind. But Marie was like you. When she got it in her head, it stuck. So you might as well go with it. "Well...Daddy it is." You sighed with a smile as Marie snuggles into Tom's chest. He looks down at her with his own smile.   
"It is. What do you think of that, mummy?"  
You bite your lip, still smiling. "I think I like it quite a bit."

Tom sits on the bed with his head in his hands. He should be packing. Business in L.A. then home to London. But the only thing going through his mind is you. Leaving you and the children. For two weeks. He'd joked the day you came home from Chicago but he would go out of his mind. He'd spent every night with you for the last two, almost 3 months. He sighs and stands up, going to your drawers and pulling out one of your tee shirts. It smells like your laundry detergent but not like you. He puts the shirt back and moves to the basket in the closet, rummaging through for a tee that smells like you.  
The whole house is subdued. Jameson plays with his dinner, only eats half then asks to be excused. Marie shadows Tom everywhere, even waiting outside the bathroom for him. Bed time is full of tears. And you can't even be in the same room. You abandon him to handle it himself. He finds you sitting on the back porch, looking out into the night sky.  
"My darling, are you ok?"  
You don't answer. You want to lie and tell him you're fine. But you don't trust your voice. He sits on the swing with you and draws your body into the circle of his arms. You discreetly wipe your tears. "I knew this day was coming. I tried to prepare myself, but I didn't want to think about you not being here."  
"Love, this is different. I'm not leaving for good." He sighs. "This is something we must both get used to. You have your job and university. I have work." He touches your chin and turns your face. "But I promise that we will see each other as much as time will allow. I love you. I've never loved anyone in the way I love you. It's frightening and exhilarating."  
"I love you. It's weird. As a fangirl, I fantasized about this very thing. I never thought how hard it might be."  
Tom leans you and turns you to face him. "While you were in Chicago, I got you something. A surprise." He tugs a ring box from his pants pocket. Your heart stops. "A promise. A promise that I'll do whatever it takes to keep you. To make you mine. From now until forever. A promise of something more." He opens the box. In it rests a ruby ring. The stone is in the shape of a heart with four diamonds faceted around it. "You have my heart. And this will show everyone when I am not here."  
Your hand is shaking as he slides the ring onto your finger then caresses his thumb over the backs of all your fingers.  
"It's beautiful, Thomas."  
"Not as beautiful as you." He kisses you. So deeply your toes curl and you're left breathless. "I'd like to spend my last night home next to your body. Clothed or naked. So long as I can touch you."

The two of you spend the night wrapped in each other, making love twice before finally giving into sleep. You fight it as long as possible, so desperate to spend every last waking second together before Tom had to leave. But after 3am, neither you nor Tom can even prop your eyes open.  
Seven a.m. comes too early. Your own eyes are ringed with red already. When Tom opens his own eyes, they match yours. All you want is to make it a nice morning for him before he leaves. The last thing he needs is to be made to feel guilty for just doing his job. The very one that brought you together. You do your best to smile before you slip from under the covers. Not that you could do that so easily. Tom has you practically in a death grip with no intention of letting go soon.  
"Good morning, baby."  
"Good morning, my darling." Tom releases you. You slide off the bed and make your way into the bathroom to start getting ready. Tom sits up reluctantly. Sitting up means it's time to start the day. But today, starting the day means leaving you and Marie and Jameson. It's not a day he's looking forward to starting. Neither are you. But if you can just make it through today, it had to get easier, right?  
Breakfast is awful. Marie refuses to eat anything, even her favorite. When she gets up from the table and heads for the stairs, you don't stop her. And Jameson's angry. "Why does he have to leave?"  
Fortunately, Tom is upstairs finishing packing the last of his bag. "Jameson Wayne, that is enough! I have already told you. The whole reason we went to Chicago was to get passports, so we could go visit Tom in just a couple weeks. Now you stop it." He looks up at you with sad indignation and your heart falls to your stomach. You sigh heavily. You cross to the table and bend over to comfort him. "This is really hard on Mommy too, okay? But we're gonna see Tom again and soon. He's gonna take us all around London and see all those cool things you've only seen in books, like those big buses and the guards with the funny hats, remember? Don't worry. Things will be just fine in a couple weeks."  
You kiss his forehead and hear Tom round the corner with his dark-haired, three-year old red-eyed shadow. Marie hasn't left his side. It wouldn't have surprised you if he'd brought her into the shower with him. Or if she'd fought her way in there to him. She's wearing new clothes than you'd originally dressed her in, so it had to be one or the other. She's latched on to the loose fabric of his jeans, whimpering. Tom walks to where you stand next to Jameson and kisses you.  
"You have a little shadow." You manage a small smile.  
"I noticed. Although she may be a little small to be mine." He reaches down to hold her little hand. Marie reaches up with both arms, scrambling for him to hold her up. He obliges and she wraps her arms around his neck as tight as she could. Tom places his hand gently on her back and nuzzles her temple. Your mom heart breaks, along with your own.   
"Why you hafta go away? My fwiend's daddies don't hafta go away." Marie mumbles against Tom's shoulder. You see his face almost literally crumble at her words.   
"Oh princess...I want nothing more than to stay, believe me. But, sometimes daddies, and mummies too, have to go to different places, all around the world so they can work and be able to have such lovely homes and beautiful clothes and dresses like you have. And I'm one of those daddies that has to do that."  
Marie pulls back. "When are you coming back to stay wif me and Mummy and Jay?”  
“Very soon, my princess. But first, you and Mummy and Jameson are coming to visit me, in London. Remember? We talked about it last night. And I said we were going to see where some of the other princess live, and show all the different places they visit in London. Do you remember that?”  
Marie nods while you watch, struggling to keep it together for just a few more minutes. Then the kids will be at day care, and you won’t have to watch this painful scene. Your eyes burn and you bite your lip to keep your jaw from shaking. You glance over to Jameson who is obviously still upset. He gets up from the table and walks between you and Tom.   
“Tom, I- I don’t want you to go away, even for a little bit.” Its all you can do to turn around to the sink before you give in to silent sobs. You drop your head, your arms propping you up on the edge of the counter. Jameson whips around to you, always having been a little more than keen on your movements. You were the only one around when he was a baby, so he knew them all. Tom steps right behind you, sliding his arm around your shoulders. “Darling? Are you-"  
“I’m fine…I’m- I’ll be okay.” You reach one hand down to cup Jameson’s head and the other up to hold Tom’s wrist. “I’ll be fine. Everything will be all right.” You know part of the reason he's so upset is because of how upset you are.  
“Mommy, how many days is two weeks?”  
“It’s fourteen days, baby.” You turn back around.  
He brings his hands up, counting his fingers. “Mommy look, it’s only this many days, plus four more. That’s all. See? Look, we can count it together until we leave.” Jameson always wanted you to feel better. He hates seeing you upset in any fashion.   
You nod. “That sounds like a great idea, baby. We’ll keep track like that. Marie, too.”  
Tom looks over at the kitchen clock and realizes the time. “It’s…it’s time for me to get going.” The moment nobody wants to actually face. Marie holds tighter to Tom’s shirt and starts to whimper. “Sweetheart, you have to go over to Mummy, all right?”   
“No, I don’t wanna. I want you to stay!”  
“Marie, please, come over to me. It’ll be all right.” Her tears start up again as she leans toward you, her face twisted. She falls into your shoulder. Your arms cradle her, resting her own head on top of hers. You watch as Tom’s expression almost matches hers, his face scrunching up trying to avoid crying. At least until he's out the door where the kids can’t see him. He leans forward and plants a kiss on her cheek.   
“I love you, my princess. I’ll see you in just two weeks.”  
“I yove you, Daddy.”  
He kneels down to Jameson, who throws his arms around his neck. Tom hugs him back. “I love you too, Jameson. You’ll see me again before you know it, okay?”   
“Okay. You promise?”  
“Of course I promise. And I’ll show you everything there is to see in London.” Jameson pulls back and nods.   
Now it's your turn. Tom stands back up, but seems smaller somehow. His eyes are shining again, and he’s set his jaw to stop the trembling. You slide your free hand around his neck and he wraps his around your waist.   
There aren’t really a lot of words. You certainly don’t have any, at least. “This is so stupid. We’re all going to see you again in just two weeks.” You sniffle and shake your head. Tom slides one hand up your back and rubs the back of your neck. “I love you.”  
“I love you too. I’ll miss you.”  
You glance at the clock. “You’re gonna miss your flight if you don’t hurry.”  
Tom leans in for one last kiss. It's soft and slow and desperate. Like he's already missing you before he’s even left. A tear lands on your cheek but it's not yours. You both pull back and press your foreheads together.   
“You’re gonna miss your plane, baby. You have to go.” You reach to wipe his cheek and he kisses your palm.   
“I know…I’m…I’m going. I am.” He leans forward for one more kiss, this one shorter. “I love you.”  
“I love you too.” Still carrying Marie, you walk him to the door. He picks up his bag slowly. Tom reaches for you one last time and breathes you in as much as possible. “Call me when you land, okay?”  
“I will. It won’t be until later this evening. Layovers and all that.”  
You nod. You tell each other you love each other again. It's never enough, especially this morning. Tom backs out the door slowly. You watch him toss his bag into the passenger side of the car then walk around to his side. He looks up one more time and Marie picks her head up from your shoulder. She waves. “Bye Daddy, I see you yater.” Tom blows a kiss back while Marie drops her head and snuggles back to you. You mouth “I love you” to Tom as he drops into the drivers seat, closes the door, and slowly backes out of the driveway. This is going to be the longest two weeks of your life.

That night when Tom calls, the kids are already in bed. You had sat up working on your dissertation waiting for him to call.  
"I'm sorry I didn't call when I got in. They bumped up one of the meetings for today."  
"It's alright. It's just good to hear your voice."  
"I've got meetings all day tomorrow then Wednesday I'm flying home to London."  
"You need your rest then."  
"Yes but I want you on the line for a little bit longer. I've a layover in Indianapolis. It's only an hour and a half. Would you come see me?"  
"Oh baby. I don't think I can handle saying goodbye again."  
"Oh. Alright." You hear the disappointment in his voice. "I miss you terribly."  
"I miss you too. Bedtime was not happy. They're both in our bed."  
"I'm sorry, love." He sighs. "Tomorrow night, I'll call earlier. Perhaps we can Skype."  
"They'll love that." You draw your knees up in the chair, looking over at the love seat. He'd taken all the books back and the guitar was gone. You can't help the emptiness you feel. And suddenly, you begin to cry.  
"Baby? Are you alright?"  
"No. I'm not alright. I miss you. I never thought it would be this hard."  
"Oh darling, I miss you too. Please don't cry." You sniffle. "Come to Indy Wednesday. Have lunch with me. Let me hold you one more time before putting an ocean between us."  
"I'll have to check my schedule."  
"Alright." You hear shuffling. "I'm dead on my feet."  
"Go to bed, Thomas."  
"Yes, love. Night then. I love you."  
"Night. I love you."  
Tuesday night, you Skype with him. The kids seem better. They laugh and cut up with him on the cam. Your mood even lightens. The kids actually sleep in their own beds. You aren't able to get Wednesday off. And it kills you that he's so close and you can't get to him. And really can't talk to him expect during layovers. But the rest of the week is filled with texts and Skype chats. A few even turn a bit steamy. Only one more week away from him.

Tom loads up his laptop to check his email. You immediately call. Your eyes are red like you've been crying. Your nose is swollen as well.  
"Darling, what's wrong?"  
"Tom, can you come back? Please. I need you."  
"Are the children alright? Has something happened?" You nod and he watches helplessly as you begin bawling again. Panic wells in his chest. "Are you hurt? Please, darling. Answer me."  
You sniffle and gasp then take a deep breath. You wipe your tears. "It's Mike."  
"Oh my god, darling, is he ok?"  
You shake your head and bite your lip. "No. No, he's not. He, uh, his humvee hit an IED. He's gone, Tom."  
"I'll be there as soon as I can." You nod again. "Have you told the children yet?" You shake your head. "Don't. Not until I get there."  
You exchange I love yous before getting off. You needed to rest and grieve. And he had calls to make.

Thank god for Amy. You call her after getting off chat with Tom and she comes over to help you. With an overnight bag, no less. "Honey, I'm so sorry." You open the door for her. She pulls you into a tight hug. The kids are asleep just up the stairs so you try to keep from crying. She spends the night on the opposite side of your bed while you lay awake, almost unable to think. You guess it will be at the very earliest, tomorrow night late when Tom will get in. And that's if he was able to even get a flight this late.   
Mike is gone. The thing you feared most happened. At first, you couldn't even believe it. When you got the call, you were so confused. Your Mike? There's no way. They must have him confused with someone else. But when they stated his full name, Michael Wayne Bowman, you know it had to be him. How could he be so stupid? You told him to be careful. Don't do anything stupid like getting blown up, you'd told him. Don't, don't, don't. Why did he have to be gone, and not, as awful as you think you probably sound, Jimmy? Yes, he's the father of your children. He's also a deadbeat asshole who may or may not be responsible for hurting young women and who attacked you in your own front yard.   
Amy gets the kids up the next morning and ready for daycare. Marie has gotten better and is happy to see Aunt Amy. Jameson is a little more wary. "Where's Momma?"   
"She's just upstairs in bed, sweetie pie. She wasn't feeling good and called me and said she would need help getting you guys up and to school."  
He makes a face at her answer. "I'm gonna go check on her. I want to make sure she's okay." He hops up from his chair and heads up the stairs. "Momma? Are you okay?"  
Jameson's voice interrupts your thoughts and you sit up in bed to see him. "Monkey, what are you doing up here? You need to finish getting ready for school."  
"Momma, why are you crying? Is it because you miss Tom?"  
You hate nothing more in life than being dishonest with your children. But you have to for now. "Yeah, baby, I do." At least it wasn't an out-and-out lie.  
"I'll stay home from school today with you, so you're not lonely." You think your heart will burst as he walks around to you and climbs up the comforter. He snuggles into your chest and you wrap your arms around him. It kills you. It's like having a little piece of Mike there with you and it breaks your heart all over again. Jameson pulls back and raises his fingers. He studies them for a minute, counting, before showing you nine of them. "Momma, look- we only have nine more days until we go see Tom in London. It's not so bad, huh?"  
You lift a hand and rub his cheek with your thumb. He smiles, wanting you to feel better. "Yeah...it's not so bad. You're right." Jameson snuggles back down to you. "But you can't stay home with me today, Monkey. You know how important school is. And Tom would be upset if he knew you didn't go."  
"I don't want you to be upset by yourself, Momma. I don't want to go to school."  
"I'll be okay, sweetie. I won't be alone. Aunt Amy is here with me. She's gonna stay today and we're gonna hang out and do boring momma stuff you wouldn't like anyway. You'd be so bored, you'll wish you had gone to school."  
He isn't really buying much of it but Jameson knows you would make him go. He pulls you into a hug. "I love you, Momma. I'll see you after school. Maybe we can go get ice cream. That always makes me feel better."  
"Of course, baby. Maybe we'll do that, you, me, and Marie."  
He lets go of you as Amy calls up the stairs that it was time to go, and he slips off the bed to head out the door.  
You have to get up and at least shower or something. Standing under the hot spray, you worry about how to tell the kids. It's going to be a rough couple of days.  
Amy leaves shortly after your shower, so she can make sure you eat. You choke down a bagel and cream cheese. But it tastes like ashes in your mouth. Mike is gone. Your one constant throughout all your ups and downs. You hold onto the counter as the tears take you again. The phone rings and it's a welcome distraction.  
Thank god, it's Tom. "I'm so glad it's you."  
"My love, have you been crying again?"  
You sniff. "Yes. But it's less frequently now."  
"I've got good news. Luke and Christian were able to juggle my appointments and auditions. I'll be in Indianapolis tomorrow evening."  
"Oh thank god." The relief you feel brings you to the floor. You sink done with your back against the cabinet. "Let me know when your flight arrives."  
"I'm sorry you're going through this."  
"You'll be here soon." There's a rapid knocking at the door. "Someone's here. I've gotta go."  
"I love you. I'll call from the airport."  
"I love you too, baby."  
The person knocks again. "I'm coming." You sniff and wipe your eyes. You don't recognize the gentleman on your porch. "Can I help you?"  
"I'm from the benefits division of the United States Army. Are you (Y/n)?"  
"Yes?"  
"Could I come in?"  
"Uh, yes of course." You unlatch the screen door. The short, blocky man steps in and you lead him to the couch in the living room.  
"Let me start off by saying I'm sorry for your loss."  
"Thank you."  
"Staff Sergeant Bowman was a an excellent solider and person."  
"I know."  
"Now, I just have a few papers for you to sign and I'll release your check. The funeral home has already received theirs."  
"Check? I don't understand."  
"Staff Sergeant Bowman named you as his sole beneficiary."  
"What? What about his parents?"  
"Afraid not. Looks like you've been his beneficiary since he signed the contract. In '98?" That mother fucker. "So if you'll just sign here?" The man holds out a pen to you. You sigh and sign. Dammit, Michael Wayne. "Aren't you going to ask how much it is?"  
"My best friend since I was 12 died, sir. Money can't change that."  
"I'm sorry, ma'am." He hands you an envelope. "Once again, I'm sorry for your loss, miss." He stands and salutes. You leave the envelope on the table then let him out.  
The phone rings. It's Wade. "Hey, bub."  
"Hey, doll. How you holding up?"  
"I'm alive. Amy got the kids off to daycare for me. Mike's parents stopped by on their way home from the funeral home. And a guy from the army just left."  
"What did he want?"  
"Mike made me his beneficiary. He was having me sign for a check."  
"Are you sure, doll? They don't usually do that unless it's a large amount."  
You sigh and close your eyes, pressing the bridge of your nose between your fingers. "I don't know how much it is, Wade." There's a knock on the door. "I've gotta go."  
Jack peeks his head in the door. "You up for company?"  
"Come on in, pop." Jack pulls you into his arms and hugs you tight.  
"I'm sorry, honey." You just let him hold you for a while. "When is Tom coming back?"  
"He's flying in tomorrow." Jack rubs your back.  
"Good. I don't want you going through this alone."  
You wipe your eyes. "How are you and Denise holding up about Jimmy?"  
"I've put up with a great deal from Jamestown, but I told him he's no son of mine. Denise is a mess. You think we could get the rugrats for a few days?"  
"Can you wait until after the funeral?"  
"Of course. Or we could take them tonight and tomorrow night."  
"I - uh, yea. That's fine."  
Jack packs a bag for the kids, leaving you to field a visit from Jason. The rest of the evening is filled with visits from townspeople and family. Bringing covered dishes and flowers. You and Mike had been inseparable since 6th grade. Everyone pretty much treated you as his widow. If Tom hadn't come into your life, you probably would be. But Tom has your heart.  
You stare at the stuffed fridge trying to play tetris with the food. Your phone rings. The picture of you and Tom at the fair pops up. "I love you."  
"Well that's a wonderful thing to hear. I love you too, darling."  
"It's a long day."  
"I can't imagine. I'm getting ready to board. Want me to call you when we land in New York?"  
"Yes. But if I don't answer, it's only because I'm sleeping. Jack and Denise took the kids for the night."  
"Alright, love." He sighs. "I can't wait to hold you in my arms."  
"I miss you like crazy. I love you."  
"I love you."

Close to midnight, your phone chimes. It's Tom. *Are you awake love? -T.*  
You smile and squint at the glaring screen. *I am*  
Your ringtone goes off seconds later and you slide to answer it. "Hi you."   
"Darling. How are you? You must be in bed. You sound so tired."  
"I am. My eyes are killing me, but I wanted to wait to hear you and make sure you got in safe."  
"How did I ever get so lucky to find you, my sweet girl?"  
"About as lucky as I was."  
You smile. As awful as you still feel, Tom seems to have a way to soothe you. It's what you need most at a time like this.   
"Are you checked in to a hotel?"  
"Not yet, darling. I'm waiting for a cab. I've tried to get an earlier flight home tomorrow, but nothing worked out. I'm so sorry."   
"It's okay, baby."  
"No, I hate that you're alone right now. Not even the children there or anything."  
"I'll be fine. You'll be here soon and everything will be fine." The truth is you're a ball of distraught and angst. And even though Tom makes you feel better, he can't bring back your best friend. You trade goodbyes and 'I love yous' and hang up.   
Tom is beside himself. You ache so deeply and he knows it, no matter how much you tried to cover it up. He feels useless. Nothing he can say can comfort you enough. He understands grief. He has lost important people in his life before, so he understands the well of pain you're drawing from.   
He thinks about the times he met Mike before he shipped out. How jealous he was and for no reason. How much attention and love he showered on your little ones. And how at their last meeting, they made peace with each other. Tom thinks about what he told Mike at the party that night, that he would always treat you and the kids better than they could ever hope for. Lying in bed that night, he makes up his mind that he'll do everything possible to make that Mike's legacy.

"Darling? Where are you?” He wasted no time getting to your house from the airport. He didn’t call because he didn’t want you driving, either. The house is quiet without Marie and Jameson there. Tom listens carefully and finally hears you upstairs in bed.  
“I’m up here.” Tom drops his bags and takes the stairs two at a time to reach you. As he pushes the bedroom door open, he sees you laying on your side of the bed curled up in a ball, your pillow tucked under your head.  
“Oh, darling.” He breathes out, saddened by the sight of you. A wave of grief had washed over you when you came home from work and the house was empty and quiet.  
“Hi baby.” Pushing a deep breath out, Tom crosses the room and crawls into the bed, wrapping around you and pulling you close. He kisses your forehead and tucks your head under his chin. You slip your arms around him and breathe him in. His cologne is nothing but wisps at that point, but you still detect it and it comforts you. You grip his shirt with one hand and try to wipe your tears away with the other.   
You lay there together in silence for a while. It's such a relief to have Tom there, to know you weren’t alone. You break the peace gently. “How are we gonna tell the kids?”  
Tom takes a deep breath and strokes your back. “I don’t know, love. It’s not going to be easy, is it?”  
You shake your head. “It’s gonna be awful. They’ve never had this happen before. I don’t know how they’re gonna take it. Before you, I could swear Marie was shades away from calling Mike ‘daddy’.” That makes Tom smile a little. The notion that Marie compared him to Mike is one he likes because he knows how much she loves him.   
You both fall silent again before telling Tom about yesterday. “Someone came by yesterday from the Army. Mike apparently made me his beneficiary.”  
Tom pulls back and brushes the hair out of your face. “He did?”  
“Yeah. The guy made me sign for a check.”  
“Really? Darling, that sounds like something rather serious. Have you put it in the bank yet?”   
“No, it’s still downstairs on the table. I don’t know how much it’s for. It doesn’t really matter. It won’t bring him back.” You fight back tears again. Tom pulls you close again and shushes you, rubbing your back up and down. He knows it will be a while before you're okay, but he wants you to be all right by tomorrow. The kids will come home then. And tomorrow wil not go down easy.

Jack gives Jameson and Marie one more hug before leaving. Tom steps out of the den to shrieks of delight. They attack him and nearly bowl him over. It's a ray of light in the darkness.  
The joy of Tom's unexpected homecoming falls short. Jameson cries when you and Tom pull him into your lap and tell him about Mike. It breaks your heart all over again. You hate to see him like this. He holds you tight then goes to Tom and won't let go. Tom hushes him and rubs his back and lets your boy cry and snot all over his shoulder. Marie comes in, thinking her brother is in trouble. You pull her onto your lap and tell her. She cries then wipes her face.  
"Nana Boo wiw take care of Uncy Mikey." Nana Boo was the dog you'd had up until this spring when she got hit by a car. You pull her close and squeeze her, the tears starting all over again with the image of Mike and the pit bull rolling around in the yard. She pushes you back and takes your face. "It be ok, mummy. Daddy wiw make you happy gan." You sniff and nod. She kisses your nose like you do her when she's sad then slides off your lap to go play.  
You manage to keep it together during the funeral but the tears are right there ready to fall, like a dam about to break. That is until the soldiers who fold his flag on his casket present it to you and salute. You clutch it to your chest and bend over. The sobs tighten your chest and twist your face. Wade takes Marie from Tom, so he can lean down and whisper comforting words to you. His large hand rubs your back. Tom feels useless to help, your face buried in one shoulder, Jameson's in the other. Mike's parents, his brother and you lay your roses on the casket.


	10. Chapter 10

The quiet in the house is broken as Marie puts in her Disney sing along DVD and begins dancing and singing in the den. Jameson, despite his grief, joins in. Your heart is lifted, seeing him smile for the first time since you'd told him the news. Tom had moved the Army check to your computer with all the traffic in the house. You tear open the envelope. Your eyes widen. This couldn't be right. "Oh my god." Tom steps up behind you. You stare at the check, not really sure you were reading it correctly. $350,000?!  
"What is it, darling?" You don't say anything. You just hand him the check. "Oh my, that is a substantial amount." He hands it back.  
"It's enough to pay off the house, my student loans and finish school. And still have half of it left over." You sit in your office chair with a thump.  
Tom stands behind you and rubs your shoulders. He'd been thinking about the future since he'd left for L.A. He knew you had a year left of university but after that, you could go anywhere. And he wanted that anywhere with him. He clears his throat. "Love, I want to talk to you about something."  
You lean your head back and look up at him. "What's that?"  
"Before you pay off the house. . .maybe you should think about moving to London." He pauses. "After graduation." He pauses again. "With me." Your heart stops. Did the man of your dreams just ask you to move in with him? "I mean, we'll have been together for a year and I know I want you in my life. I'm not talking marriage right away." Your silence unsettles him and has him babbling.  
You squeeze your eyes shut. "Tom. Tom. Stop. Please." You can't breathe. Is this happening? For real, really happening? This is beyond surreal. This is unreal. "Don't. Please. Please don't make me want that."  
The backs of his fingers caress your cheek. "Why not?"  
You take a deep breath and open your eyes. Just say it. Rip it off like a bandaid. Let him see how much of weird fangirl you were before you actually met. "Because it's everything I've wanted since I found you." Tom leans down and kisses you as deep as the position will allow then turns you around in the chair. He crouches in front of you.  
"I gave you that ring as promise. A promise of my love and a future together. And everything that entails. Relocation, compromise, marriage, more children. I'm greedy, love. I want it all. You have won me. Heart, mind, body and soul." He leans up and cups your jawline. "I know we've only been together a short time-"  
"Three months."  
"Yes, love, three months. But I've never met a person like you. I've never felt connected with a woman the way I'm connected to you. I love you." Before the tears can start, you kiss him. Slow and deep, pouring all the love you have for him into it. Your fingers comb through his hair.  
Giggling draws both your attention to the doorway. Jameson turns and runs out of the room, laughing. But Marie runs over and hugs Tom's back. "I'm gad you home, Daddy." She turns his face and kisses his cheek then runs off.

"Whoa! What? Are you kidding me?!" Nina almost shouts across the counter to you. "Wait, tell me everything again. He asked you to move with him?!"  
"Keep your voice down! He's upstairs sleeping!" You whisper harshly. Nina came over the morning after the funeral to check on you and the kids.   
"Well?? What did you say?!"  
"I didn't say anything. What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, that would be my crazy fangirl dream. Let me pack up my life, and my kids' lives too, and jet on over to London'? No, girl. It doesn't work that way. I can't even think about it for another year. I won't have time."  
"You're an idiot. You have been in love with him since the minute you popped Henry V into the DVD player that night and you made me watch it with you."  
"He is going to hear you. Now, shut up!" This isn't exactly what you want from this coffee date with your best friend. But Nina is not always in the business of telling you what you want to hear.  
"Sweetie, look at me. You still have no idea how much he loves you, do you? You should see the way he looks at you. And the kids."  
"I know, but...this... This is huge. I mean, London? It's a whole other continent."  
Tom shuffles out the bedroom door and hears the two of you chatting downstairs. He freezes in his tracks when he hears the topic at hand.  
"And besides, it's not just me. Jameson and Marie's lives would be moved too. They'd have to find new schools and friends and everything. It's a lot to think about."  
Nina sips her coffee. "Yeah, but they're good kids. They'd find so many friends and I'm sure London schools don't just pop out total morons."  
"Yeah." You sigh.   
Tom listens intently. He knows he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but he can't stop himself.  
"Marie would probably get into some Royal Shakespearian fancy-pants ballet company. And Jameson would only have to start calling it football instead of soccer."  
"You're incorrigible, you know that? Seriously."  
"Yeah, but you love me."  
You roll your eyes at Nina as you hear Tom's steps on the stairs. Before he hits the bottom, you put your finger to your lips and mouth, "Not a word!" Nina brings her hand to her mouth and "zips" her lips. Tom rounds the corner, all track pants and messy hair.   
"Good morning, darling." He kisses the top of your head then when you lean back, your lips. "Nina, lovely to see you again."  
"Glad to see you too, Tom. We were just talking about you."  
Your head jerks up and your eyes widen as Tom stands behind you, pouring coffee. Nina sits with an evil smile. "I was just telling Boots here how jealous I am that she and the kids are going to see you in London next month. Just for a couple weeks, right?"  
You set your gaze to death stare as she sips her coffee, playing with you. Damn, she's good at this.  
"Yes, they are. I'm so excited. I can't wait." Tom smiles.  
The three of you stands in the kitchen talking a few moments before two blurs run through the house and out the back door. Marie runs back and grabs Tom's hand. "Come on, Daddy! We hafta go fight da mons'er!"  
Tom downs the rest of his coffee and sets his cup down quickly. "Ladies, if you'll excuse me. I have a terrible beastie to defeat! Wait for me, darling," he says dramatically, sweeping you into him with his free arm.  
"Always, my love," you play back with a smile. Tom leans in and kisses you. You can't stop a giggle.   
"I'm coming, my princess!" He calls out as Marie pulls him out the door.  
You turn back around, flushing and beaming, to see Nina giving you a look. "What?!"  
"Oh. You're moving to London, all right."

The kids play in the yard while you and Tom sit on the swing, you in his lap and the laptop on yours. "What time did you want to fly out?"  
You shrug. "I don't know. I've never flown before."  
"We have two options. Morning, which will likely throw your systems off and cause jet lag. Which is bound to happen anyway since this is your first flight. Or evening which the kids could sleep through most of the flight."  
"I don't know."  
"Do you want me to do it?"  
"Yes." You both laugh. He scoots you off his lap and takes your laptop.  
"I'll do this. I'll book a morning flight to New York then a red eye to London so the kids can sleep." His fingers fly through the process. "Have you told them about going to London?"  
"No. I wanted to wait until I had the passports."  
"Why don't we take them to a special dinner and tell them?"  
You laugh. "Are you sure? We won't hear the end of it until we fly out day after tomorrow."  
He sets the laptop to the side. "I don't mind. I love it when they're happy and excited." He pulls you into his lap. "You too." He kisses you, holding your chin and feasting at your mouth.  
"If you keep kissing me like that, I'll be a different kind of excited."  
"Darling, you already are." He nuzzles your nose with his.  
"I better get packing and make a few calls. You tell the kids we're going to their pick for dinner." You slide of his lap and disappear into the house.  
Tom watches Marie and Jameson jump off the play structure. He had to show you a fantastic time while you were London. Had to make you love the city so much you'd agree to move. He couldn't wait for you to see the surprise he had been working on before you called him home.  
"Daddy! Come jump wif us!"  
"Coming princess." Tom glances at the laptop before shutting. Tom runs across the lawn, growling playfully to catch Marie as she jumps off the slide again.

You wait anxiously at the table for your meals to arrive. The kids had picked Vapiano's. Jameson because they had his favorite pizza, and Marie because they had a tree in the middle of the restaurant. As they share crayons across the table, you and Tom exchange excited smiles. This is going to be fun.   
"Mummy, wook! I drawed Chawles in a castle!" Marie showes you. You look up at her work and grin.  
"That looks great, baby! Let's take it home for the fridge, okay?" She nods and beams at you and Tom. Neither of you can wait much longer.  
The food finally arrives, and you all chat with each other. It's a much-needed few moments of happiness in the wake of everything that had gone on over the last week.   
Losing Mike had taken an immense toll on you. He had always helped you feel strong in the midst of everything that had happened in your life. He never was one to put up with whining and made that clear to everyone. But Mike always showed you his tender side, especially when he took care of you and the kids. He had always been there when you needed him. He held your hair back when you were sick and pregnant with Jameson because Jimmy was awol. He was there when you needed someone to bitch to about Jimmy. When you needed a drinking buddy when he got home from overseas.  
You look down at Jameson next to you and realize that so much of Mike had somehow gotten in to him. How, you'd never really know. But as you lean over and kiss the top of his head, you're thankful for however it happened.   
The rest of the meal passes quickly, and thank goodness for it. Before you order dessert, Tom nods at you and you smile. "Guys...mommy and Tom have something very important to tell you. Can you listen closely?" Marie and Jameson look up at you expectantly. You grin wide as you tell them. "You know how we went to Chicago, and you guys got your pictures taken? And we stayed in the really nice hotel?" They both nod. "Well, the reason we did that was to get passports for all of us. So we could go out of the country."  
"Mummy, what you mean? Wasa passport?"  
Tom reaches for your hand across the table and laces your fingers. "What mummy is trying to say is, we're gonna take your passports and you're all going to come back with me for two whole weeks to see all of London."  
Neither of them have words. Jameson's jaw hits the floor, and Marie's face lights up like a firework. "You mean, we geta go see where daddy wives? Where Chawles came fwom?"   
"Yes, sweetie."  
She stands up on the seat and jumps up and down. "We going to Wondon! Mummy and daddy are taking us to Wondon!!"  
Tom can't control his laughter as he reaches up to her.  
"Princess, you can't jump like that! Come down, sweetheart!"  
Jameson is just shocked. "This is awesome! Momma, are we really going to London?!"  
"Yes baby, we really are."  
Jameson jumps up and wraps his arms around your neck, hugging you tight. "Momma, this is amazing! I'm so excited! When do we get to go?!"  
"The day after tomorrow. We're flying to New York City first, and then we'll take a nighttime flight to London."  
"We get two planes?!"  
You and Tom can't help but smile and look at each other across the table. He reaches for your hand again, and you squeeze it. "And when we get there, I have a big surprise for both of you, little ones."  
You shoot him a look. "What? What do you mean?"  
"Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it darling?" He winks.

~*~  
The paparazzi had all but left Indianapolis International Airport except for a handful. But those that remained luck out. They snap several pictures of you and Tom and the kids. One records video. The two minute long snippet shows Jameson and Marie playing on their iPads. Tom has his arms wrapped around your waist and your arms are wrapped around his shoulders. You're talking excitedly and he's beaming at you then kisses you passionately and moves to mouth your neck to make you laugh. Marie jumps up and asks 'Mummy, daddy, can we get hiceam (ice cream) before we weave?'  
Tom releases you and crouches down. 'Of course, princess.'  
Jameson and Marie hand you their iPads. 'I'll stay here with the luggage.'  
Tom kisses you then sweeps Marie up onto his shoulders. 'We'll be right back, my love.'  
The video hits tumblr like wildfire. A few of your social media friends recognize you. Your Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr explode with followers, friend requests and messages. You have most everything set to private because of the kids anyway. Your Internet life and Tom's fame have no baring on them. But now, you and the kids have been thrust into the spotlight.

The car drops you all off at Tom's house. Jameson is impressed by the gated community. "Tom, momma, so you think I could meet Tim Burton?"  
"Honey, why would you say that?" Tom looks confused but suddenly smiles.  
"I heard you tell Aunt Nina that Tim and Tom live in the same neighborhood."  
You blush. "Sorry, fangirl gossip."  
"No, darling, it's alright. Yes, we do live in the same community, Jameson. And if possible, you most certainly may meet Tim." Tom opens the front door. The kids take off running, but Tom stops you. "I want to carry you over the threshold."  
"But Tom, we're not married."  
"I do what I want." He sweeps you into his arms and carries you over the threshold. He sets you back on your feet then kisses you. He turns to the driver. "Just set the bags in the living room, please. We'll delegate where they go."  
The kids run back in. "Daddy, you yard is small."  
"Yes, princess."  
"How we pway monsers den?"  
"That's part of the surprise." He tips the driver then leads you into the backyard. "Jameson, son, will you help me with the tarp?" Jameson beams at both being called son and being asked to help.  
"Sure, Tom!" Tom grabs one side of the tarp and Jameson the other. They both pull it forward, revealing a good sized castle play structure and swing set.  
Marie squeals and practically climbs Tom. "Tank you! Tank you, Daddy!" She kisses his face repeatedly.  
"We're all tired after the trip and we have to figure out sleeping arrangements. Why don't we see about food and showers and then we'll play, ok?" Marie nods.  
"That brings me to the second part of my surprise." He sets Marie down and takes your hand. "Now, don't think this is a manipulation in any way. I merely wanted the kids to be comfortable."  
"Thomas, what did you do?" He leads the three of you into the house and to the guest room. You stand there, shocked. The kids scream in delight and run to their respective sides of the room. "You did all this in three weeks for a two week vacation?"  
Marie's half of the room is straight out of a fairytale. A canopy bed, an incomplete mural of the Disney Princesses and toys and dress up costumes mounded. Jameson's side of the room is straight out of a comic book. A loft bed with a desk, an incomplete mural of superheroes, and Legos, kinex, action figures and cars are in careful bins.  
Tom ducks his head. "No, as soon as you agreed to come visit, I started planning. So about 5 weeks for what was supposed to be a month." He turns you to face him. "Are you ready for your surprise?"  
You nod. The bedroom had overwhelmed you. You were tired from the trip and here he was doing everything you'd imagined. Accepting your need to finish school, becoming a father for your children, wanting marriage and more children, wanting you to move to London. It all felt too good to be true. Your brain didn't want to process it. Something would happen to screw this up.  
Tom's bed looks beyond comfortable. It's a not a California King like yours. Probably a queen. But after the last 14 hours, it looks heavenly. The closet doors roll open. Tom clears his throat. You turn and gasp. "Oh my god. Thomas! What have you done?"  
"I want you to come with me to the Evening Standard Awards."  
"But Tom, all the cameras and people and everyone will know we're together. There'll be no going back."  
"Darling, I want to the whole world to know you're mine." He takes your hands in his and brings them to his mouth. "Say yes." He murmurs kisses over your knuckles.  
"Yes. Yes, I'll go."  
"Wonderful!" He pulls you against him and kisses you, curling your toes and burying his fingers in your hair.  
"Mummy, I wove Wondon, can we stay forevewr?" You tuck her in.   
"Haha, maybe one day, baby. Do you like your new room and all your new toys?"  
"I wove dem! I have all the princess dresses now!"  
You laugh as Marie clearly has her priorities. She sits up one more time and draws you in for a hug. Her little arms wrap around your neck, and she rests her head on you shoulder. When she moves to break the hug, you hear her giggle, and you turn to look and see Tom in the doorway smiling at you both.   
"There's my girls. Jameson and I were breaking in the swing set. We missed you."  
"Oh, babe, I'm sorry. But it's little princess's bedtime." You turn back around to Marie. She picks up her bear and thrusts it towards Tom.  
"Daddy, Chawles wants a goodnight kiss."   
"Sweet girl, I'd be more than happy to oblige." Tom steps closer and leans down to give the bear a little peck, stopping at your own lips in the process. He plants a small kiss there and without warning, takes Marie's little face in his massive hands and plants kisses all over. She laughs as she returns them all.  
"Daddy, you so silly!" She giggles. The whole scene puts you in stitches, and you fall onto the bed, laughing.  
"Daddy, will you wead me a story before I fall asweep?"  
"Of course, little one. Pick out one of your new ones if you like."  
Marie hops out of bed to pick out a new book, and you stand from the bed.  
"I'm gonna go check on Jameson, is he still outside?"  
"No, darling, he should be inside. I think at the kitchen table." You nod and go in search.  
You find Jameson outside again on the swings. He isn't swinging and looks deep in thought. You slide the back door open.  
"Sweetie? Are you all right?"  
Jameson looks up and hops off the swing. "I'm coming, momma."  
As he climbes the couple steps to the back patio, you sit down in one of the chairs. He comes over to stand in between your knees. He looks almost worried.  
"Baby, what's the matter?"  
"Momma, Tom called me son earlier. But I thought Daddy was my daddy, not Tom."  
You know what was happening. "Oh baby, it's all right. Tom just meant it as a figure of speech, that he loves you. You know like how he calls May-May princess?"  
He nods but still looks worried. "If he calls me son, do I have to call him daddy like May?"  
"You don't have to, sweetie. You can call him whatever you like."  
"Will he be mad at me if I don't call him daddy?"  
"Of course not, baby. You should call him whatever makes you comfortable."  
Jameson's face lightens as the worry fades away. A little grin takes the place of all that worry. "Can I call him Uncle Loki sometimes?"  
You laugh. "He would probably let you call him that, yeah."  
Tom appears in the doorway again and Jameson turns to see him. His grin gets bigger as Tom steps outside to join you. He bends to kiss the top of Jameson's head, and Jameson reaches up for a hug. "My favorite boys."  
With the kids finally asleep half an hour later, you and Tom sneak away up to his bedroom. You don't want to live out of a suitcase, so you try to hang a couple things in the closet, next to your new dress. It really blows your mind. The whole thing. He wants to go outright public with you. And not just a little bit. On a night where he will be interviewed and watched and questioned. He's nominated for an award. All eyes will be on him. And now, you. You don't want to back out but the reality hits you.   
Tom walks out of the bathroom and sees you standing, looking at the dress. "Are you all right, darling?"  
"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine. Just...kinda processing...everything." He stands beside you, facing you, and strokes your back. "If you'd told me four months ago that you were gonna walk into my library, I would have laughed in your face. And now...we're going to an awards ceremony next weekend and the whole world is gonna know we're together."  
"Good. I want everyone to know how much I love you. I want to shout it from the rooftops, darling."  
You turn your head and reach to cup his face. His words always have a way of calming you. Especially in the face of this uncertainty you feel. "Thank you."  
"For what, my love?"  
"For everything. For letting me into your life, for bringing my children along. For loving them like you do. For all that." You wave your arm downstairs. "The whole setup they have is just more than I could dream."  
Tom smiles. "My darling, you are more than welcome. You and the children are easily the best part of my life. And that ring was truly a promise. One I intend to deliver on."  
You turn to face him and he captures your lips. Tom slides his tongue along the cleft between them before you grant him access. You taste every corner of each other for a moment before parting breathlessly. You press your forehead to his. "So tell me...how does the sound travel in your house?"  
Tom grins wickedly. "Not much at all, darling."  
"Good. Let's test that out." You pull him toward the bed.  
Tom sweeps you up and tosses you onto the bed. You bounce and laugh, but your laughter turns to moans. He pulls your shirt off over your head and tosses it. His lips, tongue and teeth assault your ear and neck. You arch your back, pushing your breasts into his large hands for him to knead and tease. His mouth covers your peaking nipple. You gasp and grab his head. He pinches it between his teeth and presses the flat of his tongue to it. Your gasp becomes a groan when he closes his lips and sucks.  
"You like that."  
"Yes."  
His hand skims down your belly and into your shorts. He cups you then slides two fingers inside. You gasp again. "Oh my darling, you're so wet already. You really do like that." He moves his attention to your other breast, flexing his fingers in and out of you.  
Tom sits back on his heels then pulls off his shirt. His erection is making an obscene tent of his shorts and you can't help but giggle. "What are you laughing at?" You cover your mouth and point at his crotch. "Oh you think my cock is funny?"  
"Oh no. No no no." You shake your head. He raises an eyebrow.  
"I'm not convinced." He pushes the shorts down his thighs then pulls off your shorts. You're not giggling now. In fact, you're biting your bottom lip, devouring him with your eyes. He moves over you. His hips nudge your legs wider. You wrap your legs around his waist. His mouth takes yours as pushes his way inside you. He pulls back out then pushes in, each time taking your breath. One more out and in and he fills you completely. "I believe you now."  
"Oh god, Thomas."  
"I love it when you say my name." He thrusts slow and hard, bringing your ass up off the bed. Your cries become louder and louder.  
"Oh fuck. Oh Thomas!"  
"Yes!" He holds himself over you, watching your face knit with pleasure. "Touch yourself. Cum on me." His hips snap against you.  
You do as you're told, rubbing your clit out of its hood. His arms begin to shake. Pleasure so intense it almost hurts folds you. Warmth washes over you. A crashing wave that makes you keen and arch underneath him. Tom crashes his mouth to yours, devouring your lips. His weight presses on you. His fingers knot in your hair and he pounds into you. His last flurry pushes you into a second orgasm. Your body clenches around him, throwing him into his.  
Tom rolls onto his back, pulling you ontop of him. He wipes your hair out of your face with both hands. "I love you. And I want the world to know." His hands cup your face.  
"I love you. And I'll follow your lead." He pulls you into a kiss.  
"My lead says rest. It's been a long trip and that just took the last out of me."  
You slide off to the side, under his arm, resting your head on his shoulder. "G'night, Thomas."  
He tips up your chin and kisses you once more. His eyes meet yours. So many things he could say. How you make him feel, how much he loves you. That this with you is what he's wanted more than anything else in the world except for his acting. That having you in his arms is Heaven. His thumb caresses your jawline. "Goodnight, my darling." He kisses you deeply one more time then lays back. He stares at the ceiling for a long time, listening to you breathe as you fall asleep. Having you in his bed finally made this a reality for him. He wanted you there for the rest of your lives. You by his side felt so natural. So much so that he'd acted uncharacteristically since he'd met you. He finally falls asleep, curling onto his side and wrapping his long lean body around yours.


	11. Chapter 11

“Mummy…mummy. Wake up…mummy…” The little voice inches away from your face draws you roughly from your jet-lagged sleep. You refuse to open your eyes quite yet though. It comes one more time. “Mummmyyyyyyyy…”   
You hear little footsteps pad around the carpet to the other side of the bed as you wake up a little more. Tom’s arm is wrapped around you with yours resting on top. His gentle breathing almost set you back to sleep…almost. You know the next little trick Marie is about to pull and feel the covers pull against you.  
Tom takes a deep and quick breath in. “What in the world is she doing?” His voice is thick with sleep and incredibly.  
You can’t help but laugh. “She’s trying to get up on the bed with us…and from the sounds of it, having no luck at all.”  
You hear Marie’s little grunts and sighs as she tries so hard to pull herself up onto the bed. Tom’s bed is smaller, but much higher than yours at home. She has no chance of making it up without some help, so Tom lets go of you and rolls to the other side quickly.  
“Come here, princess. Grab onto me.” He rolls back seconds later with her pulled against him and settles her between the two of you. You turn over to her.   
“May-may, what are you doing awake?”  
“I was all done sweeping, mummy.”  
“Yeah, but mommy wasn’t done yet, baby. You know you’re not supposed to wake people up.” At least this way, she's guaranteed a nap later today.  
“Princess, what do you want to do today? Hmm?”  
“I wannaaaa…pway wif all my new toys and put on all my pwincess dwesses!”   
You nod. Sounds like a lovely plan to you, being jet-lagged still. Maybe a day off couldn’t hurt.  
“Of course, May-may. But first, I’m going to treat you and mummy and Jameson to a full English breakfast.” Tom has woken up fully. You're still trying to shake the last little bits of sleep. But it's coming off fast.  
Just a little bit later, three of you sit at the kitchen table as Tom works furiously to finish the last of breakfast. And true to his word, Tom sets all of it on the table at the same time. So the boasting is true, you think.   
“Momma, what is all this?!” Jameson looks at the plates with big eyes.  
“This is a full English breakfast, sweetie.”  
“They do stuff so different over here, Momma.”  
“They do, baby. But that’s why it’s pretty cool, huh?”  
Jameson thinks for a second before nodding. “Yeah, I guess so. What else is different here, Tom?”  
“Well, lots of things, I suppose. Do you want to go out and about today and find out what else is different from your home in Indiana?”  
“That would be cool, yeah!”  
After breakfast, Tom and Jameson get ready to head out into the city while you and Marie settle in for a day at “home”. You head to unpack the last of your stuff and Marie tucks in to her new dress up clothes. You hear her singing a little made-up song.   
After a while, you join her and watch her play. “Mummy, wook at all my new toys!” She spreads her arms wide across her side of the room. You sit down on the floor in front of her and reach up to hold her a bit.   
“I see them, baby doll! What do you think of all of them?”  
“I wuv dem! They are the bestest toys ever, because they came from my daddy.”  
You always smile when Marie calls Tom that. It isn’t just that it's him. It's that she finally -has- a daddy. Jimmy was never in her life, and at this point he never would be. You’d make sure of it.   
You think about what Tom and Jameson are up to, and you hope it's going all right. This is the first time they’d ever really spent time just them together. You think about what Jameson said the night before and how worried he was about calling Tom “daddy” or not. But you know it will just take time and it isn’t worth getting too worked up about. Jameson loves him, and Tom loves Jameson. And that’s all that mattered.   
“Mummy, wet’s go pway out on the swings!” Marie interrupts your thoughts.  
“Let’s go then, baby doll!” You chase her out the back door, dodging through the small kitchen. As you chase her around the set and push her on the swings after, you're happier than you had been in a long time. London is really growing on you. And you hadn’t even been out in it yet.  
You make yourself at home. When Tom opens the front door, the smell of food cooking hits him. Jameson runs off to the kitchen to show you the plane he made at the science museum. Music fills the house. His smile becomes a joyous grin when he enters the kitchen. Marie sits on the counter, swinging her legs, still in a puffy princess dress and a tiara. Jameson looks back at him, having not said anything. You're singing along with the song. Your hips swaying.  
Tom moves up behind you. He sets his hands on your hips and scares the daylights out of you. You scream, causing the kids to laugh. Tom presses his lips to your neck. "You look at home in my kitchen." His arms wrap around your middle.  
"I didn't want to eat out again, so I raided your fridge. I hope I didn't screw up an English classic."  
"Darling, it's hard to screw up fish and chips. But you forget, you fed me for 3 months. I know your cooking." He snags a chip. It's really just a fried potato wedge more than a french fry. "And you won't screw it up."  
"That's hot." He pops it into his mouth then tries to get air in to cool it off. You laugh. "I told you." Tom steps back and you turn around. "What have my two favorite men been doing all day?"  
"Tom took me to the science museum. I got to make this plane!"  
"That looks so cool, buddy." He holds it up for you to see.  
"It's a replica of a WWII RAF plane. I told Jameson I'd look it up when we got home."  
"We're gonna hang it from the ceiling!"  
You can't help but smile wider at his exuberance. "What else did you do?"  
"We went to see the London Bridge. And momma! I got to see where they filmed the end of Thor the Dark World!"  
"The Royal Naval Academy."  
"And momma! There's a building in town that looks like a torpedo. Tom said we can go while we're here."  
"Is that it?"  
He shakes his head. "We went to this awesome playground. They had all sorts of things to climb on. And it's all wood. Not like the metal and plastic playground at home."  
"Somerford Grove." You raise your eyebrows at Tom and shrug. "It's an adventure playground. Children designed it."  
"Ah. Well, dinner's almost ready. Why don't you three wash up and one of you can set the table?"  
"Oh me! Me!" Marie stands up on the counter and raises her hand.  
Tom helps her down off the counter. As soon as they leave the room, he turns and kisses you. Your tongue glides along his as his lips draw you in deeper. A soft moan escapes you. "Tomorrow I'll make you fall in love with my city."  
"As easily as I fell in love with you?"  
"I worked hard to win you over."  
"Pfft, no you didn't. I practically somersaulted into love with you."  
"Mmmm, can you really do that?"  
"What?"  
"Somersault."  
"Yea."  
"I'd like to see that. Naked."  
He pinches your ass. "Daddy!"  
"Coming, princess!"

Tom slips out of bed early for his usual morning run. He hasn’t been as faithful to his routine as he should have been the last few weeks with everything going on. But to see you there beside him in *his* bed makes it worth it. This is exactly how he wants it. He hopes today will be a push closer to the edge for you. Before he leaves, he kneels down next to you as you lay in the bed, just watching you for a few seconds. Just to watch your chest rise and fall is enough to make him happy. He leans forward to kiss your cheek and heads out the door.  
He's always better able to think on his runs, and today is no exception. Tom is so excited to show you the surprise he’s planned for you this afternoon. It spurs him on faster to get back home. His usual five-mile track finally winds to an end after an eternity. He hates being away from you and the children.  
Almost soundlessly, he slips back into the house. It's still early and everything's still quiet. Tom hops up the stairs to shower, seeing you still fast asleep. He can’t help a laugh. Twenty minutes later, with steam following him from the small bathroom, he sits on the bed next to you.  
“Darling.” He speaks softly to lull you out of sleep gently “Daaaarliiing…love, it’s almost time to wake up.”  
You don’t budge. The second time he repeats himself, your ears pick up his quiet urgings.   
“Mm-mm…mhmhmmm-vacation-hmmmmhmhmhmh...sleep in.” Your mumbling causes Tom a full laugh at you now.  
“What in the world was that, darling?”  
You mumble again, a little clearer but still full of sleep, “Is vacation…time for sleepin’ in. May-may’s not up yet even, come back and come to sleep.” The gibberish that falls from your mouth makes complete sense to you but only makes Tom laugh again.   
“Don’t laugh at me. Just lay back down with me.”  
“All right, my love.”  
Tom settles back in next to you, curving his body around yours. You know eventually you would have to get up...but right now, this is heaven.  
The silence is interrupted by little feet and a tiny hand pushing the bedroom door open. "Mummy....can I come in?"   
A deep sigh escaped you. "Okay, NOW it's time to get up."  
~*~  
"Baby, how are we gonna do this? Who is supposed to take care of the kids?"  
"I have it all taken care of, love. Don't worry." You're understandably nervous. The kids are great, even with strangers, but leaving them with someone you don't know makes you uneasy. Practically on cue, the doorbell rings. Jameson flings it open with a smile, and there stands a young woman with a smile, and a canvas bag overflowing with games and toys.   
"Hello young man, you must be Jameson!" He blushes a bit and nods. "May I come in?"   
"Sure!"  
You stand in the doorway of the kitchen. watching. The woman looks up and sees you. She immediately heads toward you with her hand extended and a smile on her face.  
"Good morning! You must be (y/n). I'm Emily, the nanny for the day."  
You shake her hand with a bit of surprise. "Good morning...you'll have to forgive me. I didn't know quite know anything about this.” You look towards Tom coming down the stairs.   
“Ah, Emily, there you are! So glad you could make it today!”   
Emily turns around and smiles at him and extendes her hand.   
“I am as well, Mr Hiddleston. Thank you so much for your call.”  
As Tom shakes her hand, you catch his attention. “Sweetie, can I see you in here real quick?” You point to the kitchen.  
Tom follows you in and ses your nervous energy. “Darling, what’s the matter?”  
“Tell me who that is and why I should leave my babies with her.” You don’t mean for it to sound like you're trying to be nasty or attacking, but it comes out that way.  
“It’s all right, I promise. Emily is my sister’s nanny and had the day off, so I asked if she’d want to come here and watch the children. I hope that’s all right, I didn’t mean to overstep anything if I did-“  
“No, no it’s okay…I just…I don’t know her, and it’s just kind of a surprise is all.” You bite your lips together and Tom reaches out and strokes your arms. You look towards the living room where Jameson has already settled in with Emily. She has pulled out some crayons and coloring books, and Jameson is talking excitedly with her.  
“She watches your nieces?”  
“She does and she’s wonderful, darling.”  
“And you trust her?”  
“Absolutely. I would never have called her if I didn’t fully trust her. You know I love those two and I would never have done this if I didn’t.”  
You nod. “Okay. I trust you.”  
A flurry of activity goes up as you begin to leave, but you make sure to tell Emily all the important information. “And please, call me for ANY reason. We’ll come right back home.”  
“I absolutely will, Ma’am. I promise.”  
“We’ll be fine, momma! Miss Emily has all kinds of toys and games for us to play. This is so cool!”  
“Mummy, Daddy is gonna forget you if you don’t go!” Marie has found her way into the living room in another new princess dress. In a final round of kisses and hugs, you finally head out the door.  
“So where are we going today, baby?”  
“It’s a surprise. But you’ll love it, I promise.”  
~*~  
Tom finally stops the car. “We’re here, but keep the blindfold on, love.”  
You think the blindfold is a little silly, but he had insisted. He hops out and comes around to the other side of the car and helps you out carefully.   
“All right, where are we? Why so cloak and dagger?” You laugh.  
“You’ll see, darling. I’ll be worth it, I promise. Are you ready?”  
“Ready.” Tom loosenes the blindfold and drops it from your eyes.  
You actually aren’t ready. The massive brick building in front of you spreads out forever and your jaw drops. Even still adjusting to the light, your eyes grow as big as saucers. “The British Library. You’ve got to be kidding.”  
Your brain can’t process it. On the other side of these bricks are more books and knowledge than you can ever hope to come in contact with. The reading rooms alone were enough to make your head spin when you googled the pictures.   
Tom watches your face light up. He hopes this was just right. He had worried at first you would think it would be too much like work and you wouldn’t be excited. He’d even started second-guessing himself the night before. But he had a feeling you would love this. One of the first things you told him was how much you loved books, and if there was any where else you could have access to more of them, he would have taken you there.  
“What do you think?”  
“This…this is…I mean, this is ridiculous…this is incredible. This is…”  
“I reserved a reading room, entirely for ourselves for the morning. I hope you like it.  
“Like it? I…I love it.”  
Tom waits a beat before his next statement. “If…if you lived here, with me, you could come whenever you like and stay for as long.”  
You turn to face him with a smile. “You’re too much, you know that?”  
“Only for you, darling. Now come on, let’s go raid all those shelves.” You grab his hand and start to run together, your apprehensions about moving fading fast.

Tom let's you behave like a kid in a candy store. He practically beams as you run your fingers over the spines of the books. You take turns reading to each other until your stomach growls. You finally notice the time and it's late afternoon.  
"Holy cow, baby. We've been reading all day." He runs his fingers through your hair. You turn to look at him. "I love this. I can't even believe it."  
"Let's go get something to eat then we can sight see or head back to the house."  
"Can we just go for a drive? Just you and I."  
"Of course, darling." You and he gather the books and take them to the desk so that they can be reshelved.  
"City or countryside, love?"  
"Countryside. I've read all sorts of descriptions about the English countryside."  
"As you wish, love." He places his hand on your thigh. "Have I told you you look lovely today?" You shake your head. "Well you do." His attention leaves the road for a second so that he can peck your cheek. The city begins to subside.  
Tom's driving impresses you. On his home turf, he can really work the Jag. He hugs the curves like an expert. You can't help the thrill that races through you. You sit up and lean forward, your thighs opening more. He glances at you and moves his hand further up your thigh.  
Tom pulls over to the side of the road. "The look on your face. Come here." He places his hand at the back of your head and neck and pulls you to him. His lips brush yours before they press firmly and open yours. His tongue dances along your tongue He tastes you thoroughly before pulling back, taking your breath with him.  
"Is there much traffic on this road?"  
"Not that I know of. Why?" You grin mischievously then lift your hips, reaching up under your skirt. You wiggle a bit then drop your panties in his lap. "Darling?" You open the door and get out, flashing your ass at Tom. He opens the door and follows you. His mouth takes yours as his hands find your hips. His forehead presses against yours. "God, I love you."  
"I love you, Thomas."  
You don't speak to each other. Words are useless. You hop onto the hood and Tom nestles between your legs. He opens his pants. You wrap your leg around his waist. His tongue slides inside your mouth as his cock slides inside you. You prop yourself up on your elbows and he braces his hands on the hood. He nuzzles your neck, his hot breath tickling your ear. Your fingers find his hair and hold on. You get louder and louder, so does Tom. "Oh god! Thomas! Don't stop!"  
"Almost there. God, you feel so good." Tom loses his rhythm, thighs slapping against the warm metal. You arch your back off the hood. Tom licks his fingers then reaches between you and with few firm circles over your hard clit, he brings you screaming and pulling on his hair. Feeling you cum around him pushes him into his. You fall back on the hood, gasping for breath. Tom lays his head on your belly, panting. "Woman, you'll be the death of me."  
"It's not the worst way to do die." He laughs and stands up, fixing himself. You slide off the hood. "We should get back. I promised the kids a movie tonight."

“Mummy, can Miss Emily come over tomowwow again? She was fun!”  
“Maybe, sweetheart, we’ll have to see. What kind of stuff did you do today?”   
“We did colowing and and pwayed mons’ers! And then we even had a tea party like all the pwincesses that live in the pawace wif the queen!”  
You couldn’t hold back your laugh, she was so precious. “Well, good baby, I’m glad you had fun. Maybe we’ll have to invite her back then.”  
Marie snuggles into her covers and hugs Charles tight. You lean down to kiss her goodnight then cross the room to Jameson’s bed. He was reading through a book Tom gave him on airplanes during WWII from their day together. As you sit next to him on the bed, he cuddles closer but doesn’t let go of his book.   
“Momma, look, this is the plane me and Tom made the other day.” He points to one of the pictures.   
“Wow, baby, that looks so cool.”  
“Yeah. He said that planes like this helped beat the bad guys during the war, way back a long time ago.”  
“That’s right. They were very important. What else did he tell you?” You speak softly to calm him down.  
“Tom said that it was people like Uncle Mike who did stuff like this. Is that true, Momma? I thought Uncle Mike didn’t fly in planes?”  
Your heart clenches. It's all still so fresh. “Yeah…yeah, that’s right. Uncle Mike didn’t fly planes, but…he was just as important as the people that did.” You do your best to push the tears down, but Jameson's too smart for that. He wraps his arms around your middle and hugs you tight. You didn’t want to cry. As much as you miss Mike, he would be so mad at you for it. So instead, you hug your son back. You look across the room and see Marie already fast asleep, her jaw slack. You try to turn the conversation to something happier. “Baby, what do you think of London?”  
“I like it a lot. I really loved that park Tom took me to. I wanna go back soon.”  
“Yeah? Well, you should tell him. I bet he’d love to take you again.”  
“Momma, are we gonna stay in London?”  
“Well, it kinda looks like it might happen that way, monkey. What would you think if we lived here instead of Indiana?” You aren’t typically in the business of asking your five-year-old son for advice, but his and Marie’s opinion matter in this.   
He thinks for a minute before speaking. “I dunno. I would miss Uncle Jason and Aunt Amy. And Grandma and Grandpa, both of them. But they could come visit, couldn’t they?”  
You nod. “Of course.”  
Jameson furrow his little brow. “I like it here. But I would want my own room, Momma, like I have at home.”  
A smile took your face. “Oh, is that so? Well, I think that may be reasonable. But for now it’s bedtime, all right?” Jameson hugs you one last time before snuggling down into his covers, and you kiss him good night.   
Walking upstairs to your bedroom, you find Tom sitting up in bed reading over a script. He smiles when he sees you and tosses the script aside. You slip your thin cardigan off and crawl into bed beside him, exchanging kisses and gentle touches. As you slip under the covers, Tom pulls you closer to him and presses his body against yours. You moan and giggle as he climbs over you and rests his forearms on either side of your head. He nuzzles your nose a few times and you reach up to run your fingers through his hair. You smile at each other.  
“Darling…have you given any more thought to what we’ve talked about? About you coming here? For good? You and the children?”  
“I have. But I haven’t made a final decision yet.” Tom’s expression falters a bit. “It’s a lot to consider. I just have to make sure I do what’s best for the kids. I’m not worried about me, but I have to be sure about them.”  
He nod. “Maybe this week or next even, we could look at some schools? Or there’s a fantastic ballet school I know Marie would love, and she would do so well...and just down the block, there’s a school I’m sure Jameson would adore- they specialize in science and maths. Marie could even go there when the time came, and—"  
You put up a hand, silencing him. “All right, honey. Maybe if I survive Sunday, we should go see about them.”  
A huge grin spreads across Tom’s face. Looking at schools is a huge step in his mind. He's sure once you saw the caliber of coursework and just how well the school is rated, you would know for sure this was where you and the children are meant to be.  
“You’ll do wonderfully on Sunday, I just know it. I can’t wait to see you in that dress, as well.”  
“You can’t wait to see me out of that dress, either, I bet." You wink.  
“That may be the case, love.”  
You giggle as Tom dips his head to kiss you one more time before you reach for the light.   
“I love you, darling.”  
“I love you.”  
You settle close to him as he wraps his arms around you. The smell of his soap surrounds you and gives you a sense of security. It's clear Tom will do anything it takes to convince you that London is the place for you. And while you aren’t denying you love it and you want to be with him, any resistance is wearing thin.


	12. Chapter 12

You look in the mirror, exhaling the deep breath you just took. Your hair cascades in a waterfall of spiral curls. The girl at the salon did your makeup for a tip. She apparently went to school with Emma, Tom's younger sister. The emerald french tips glisten in the light.  
"Daddy, hurry up! You got come see mummy! She's bootiful!" Tom follows behind Marie as she tugs him into the room by his hand. Tom's grin fades once he sees you, completely stunned. "See!"  
"Of course, I see." You shuffle your feet nervously.  
"What?" You turn in a circle, looking down at yourself.  
"My sweet girl, you are breathtaking." He cups your face. His lips brush yours then press firmly. He nuzzles his nose against yours as he deepens the kiss. He backs you up against the mirror and presses his body to yours. Marie's giggle breaks the kiss. "We should probably finish getting ready. I have something for you." He leaves you at the mirror, opening the drawer in the nightstand. It's a flat black velvet box. He flicks it open to reveal a pair of diamond drop earrings and an emerald necklace surrounded with diamonds.  
"Oh Tom!"  
He takes the necklace from the velvet. You sweep your hair up for him to lay it on your chest. He clasps the back then kisses your neck. You shiver. His palms glide down your arms as his lips find your ear. "You like it?"  
"I love it. It's simply beautiful."  
His lips close on your ear. "Not as beautiful as you. Nowhere close, love." His eyes meet yours in the mirror. Your heart clenches in your chest. You put the earrings on then turn to him.  
"Come here." You take the ends of his tie and begin to carefully tie his bow tie, making sure it's straight.  
"You never cease to amaze me." He kisses you.  
"I wan my pwince to yub me yike daddy yoves you, mummy." Marie runs off to find Emily and Jameson.  
"Mom! Tom! The car's here!"  
You grab your clutch purse and a sheer wrap. "Darling, are you alright? You look a bit flushed."  
You demure. "I'm scared shitless so I did a shot of Jameson."  
Tom pulls you into his arms and holds you tightly. "You'll do fine. I'll be right there. Just squeeze my hand." He kisses your forehead. "And there will be alcohol there, if all else fails." You both laugh. "Come on, love."

You hold Tom's hand in both of yours. His fingers entwined with yours, he brings them to his lips. "You're trembling." He turns your head and cups the side of your head in his large hand. "If you don't want to do this, you don't have to. I want you by my side but if it's too much for you, I'll understand if you want to go home."  
You swallow and shake your head. "No, I'm just nervous. What if I trip? What if I accidently flash? I don't want to embarrass myself and definitely don't want to embarrass you."  
"Darling, you won't trip. And if you do, I'll catch you. I'll always catch you." The car rolls to a stop at the theatre. Someone catches a shot of him holding your face, then one of the sweet kiss he plants on your lips. He smiles. "Why would you be worried about flashing your beautiful pussy?"  
"Tom. Really? Do you not see the dress I'm wearing? That YOU bought me? There's no room for panties. I didn't want a line."  
"You mean-"  
Just then the door opens. Tom exits the car then holds out his hand to you. You take one final breath and exhale before taking his hand and sliding out of the vintage Jaguar. Tom's arm circles your waist and the two of you walk the gauntlet. Tom is stopped by several reporters. They ask about his nomination and give you curious glances. You smile but keep silent. He poses for pictures by himself. At the end, he draws you in and poses you with him.  
"You did wonderful." He takes your chin and kisses you softly. Several flashes go off.  
"Can we go inside yet?"  
"Almost, my love." Tom starts walking over to the queue of fans yelling his name, leading you behind him. "No. No. No." You shake your head and try to stop him or pull away. "Tom, no. Please?" He spots Luke and leaves you with him.  
"I'm sorry, love. Stand with Luke. I'll collect you in a moment." You swallow and glance around.  
"How are you doing?"  
"Terrified. Feel like I'm going to vomit."  
"You're doing splendidly. Tom is ecstatic. You look lovely. I think Tom could lose tonight and he wouldn't care."  
"You're kidding me right? You saw Hyde, didn't you?"  
"Yes." Luke laughs. He likes how supportive you are of Tom. "Here he comes." Tom and Luke hug tightly then Tom takes your hand and the three enter for the dinner.

You drain your champagne then turn to Tom. "I'm going to visit the ladies room before they begin the awards."  
"Of course darling." You kiss him on the corner of his mouth then hurry to the ladies room. Thankfully, it's a single seater. Maybe it's the excitement of the evening or perhaps that last glass of champagne. After you wash your hands, you lift your leg and hook your heel on the edge of the sink. The skirt of the dress bunches at your hips. You snap a quick picture and send it to Tom. You're almost back to the table when Tom gets the message. His head snaps up and he looks around for you.  
You sit down and cross your legs. Tom lays his hand on your thigh then leans in. "You're a tease."  
You lean into him. "If you win, I'll give you a celebratory blow job in the car before I ride you." His hand tightens on your thigh. He opens his mouth to speak and the host takes the podium. "Oh look. They're starting."  
Much of the evening is a blur. You do your dead-level best to not freak out, but the sheer level of celebrity surrounding you is almost overwhelming. Helen Mirren sits feet away from you. Michael Caine sits poised only two tables away. And you can’t be sure in the dim light, but you can swear thats Ewan MacGregor at one of the middle tables. Several people glance at you curiously through the ceremony, and you do your best to smile sweetly and avert your gaze. You don’t want to be rude, but you aren’t 100% ready for all the attention you're getting. But Tom holds on to you all night. His fingers wrapping yours are a reminder that he's right there.   
Before long, the Best Actor category is up. You cross the fingers on your other hand for luck.  
“Darling, this is it. Do you think—do you think I’ll win?” He's so nervous suddenly. The last thing he wants is to disappoint you. It isn’t even about the actual winning. “Baby, look at me.” You speak under your breath, taking his face in your hands. “I love you. It doesn’t even matter.”  
He grins at you and leans in for a sweet kiss. It's all the confirmation he needs. Win or lose, he has you. You both look up to the presenter as she draws the moment out. You feel Tom tremble as she finally announces, "This year's winner of Best Actor in a Play, for his performance as Jekyll and Hyde, is Tom Hiddleston."  
Your jaw hits the floor and Tom freezes, an unbelievable look on his face. You both stand slowly before he sweeps you into his arms, realizing how much everyone is cheering for him.  
"Baby, I am so proud of you." You whisper softly in his ear.  
"I won...I can't believe I won!"  
"Get up on stage, go!" You push him after breaking the hug. You watch mesmerized as he accepts the award, ticking off every name he could remember in thanks.  
“…the director, especially, I could never have done it without your guidance, thank you. And one more very important person here with me tonight, I could never do anything without the love you’ve given me. (Y/n), I love you and I am so happy you are here to share this with me tonight. Thank you so much.” It takes every iota of willpower not to dissolve into a puddle on the floor after that. He just told the entire world about you. He's going to get it good on the way home.  
And that’s just what you do. After all the post-show congratulations and hugs and photo ops, you lead him back to the limo. “I can’t believe we won an award like this.” He's still in shock.  
“No, You won an award like this. You. You worked so hard for it, and everyone in that theatre knew it.”  
“But I’m only as good as the people I’m in the show with, so I think we all won it. Don’t you think so?”  
“Of course. But…none of them are about to get rewarded quite like you are.” You leaned in, teasing Tom’s lips brushing them back and forth against yours as your hand slid down his chest. His breath catches and you feel him stir. He swallows hard.  
“Darling? What about the driver?”  
“He can’t hear a thing through the glass, trust me.”  
You slide off the seat next to him and settle yourself between his knees, already miles apart. Reaching up, you slowly undo the belt and button then pull the zipper down. Tom’s breathing becomes more labored as he watches you through darkening eyes.  
You lean forward and nuzzle his growing length through the thin fabric at his crotch. He laces a hand through your hair and settles the other on the back of your head. Reaching up, you pull him from his boxers. He's already hard, and his cock bounces against the side of his open fly. You love doing this to him and for him. Slowly, you close your lips around the tip and gently suck. Tom’s groans are music to your ears.  
“Yes, my love, don’t stop. I love this.” He gasps. You moan against his skin, moving further and further down his massive length. You suck every inch of him into your mouth that would fit. You wrap your hands around the base of him and squeeze gently. Every “Fuck” and “Oh God,” spurs you on.   
Tom’s hands work your head, gently coaxing you further down and pulling you back up again, all the while watching through hooded eyes. His breath only comes in gulps now as you suck faster and harder. He throws his head back against the seat and almost cries into the roof of the car as you release him with a pop, only to draw one of his balls into your mouth. He won’t last much longer. You know it. And you want him to cum in your mouth.  
“I can’t hold on. Please, love. Please.”  
You aren’t done teasing him. “What does my baby want, hmm? Tell me.” You practically purr.  
“I want- your mouth- please. I need your mouth again.” Tom stutters and you smile unassumingly.  
“Do you mean this?” You deep-throat him. He can’t take any more. Tom bucks his hips against your face as you suck him hard and fast. He fists his hands in your hair.   
You reach up to tug on his balls tenderly, and you feel him twitch at the back of your throat. One more tug and Tom can no longer help himself. He bucks his hips once more with a guttural cry and empties his load down your throat. The salty liquid flows down your throat and you swallow every drop.  
You slide your mouth down his length one last time, releasing him with a kiss before tucking him back into his pants. Carefully pulling the zipper up and buckling his belt, you both realize the limo has come to a stop. You climb up into Tom’s lap as he comes back down to Earth.  
“Congratulations, baby. I am so proud of you.”  
He looks up at you and cups your face. “I love you. You have no idea. Now get your ass inside our house so I can return that dirty little favor."  
Tom kisses you as you walk backwards to the door. "The children?" He lifts you up by your waist onto the top step, shaking his head.  
"Emily took the them back to my sister's. Slumber party with their future cousins." He backs you up against the door and hikes your legs up around his waist. Fumbling with the key and the knob, he braces his hands under your ass then carries you in, kicking the door closed behind him. His mouth never left yours.  
He starts up the stairs, but his foot slips and you both go down laughing.  
His lips tease down to your collarbone. You can hear both your phone and his vibrating with messages and notifications. He pushes your skirt up around your hips. He's apparently not waiting for the bedroom.  
"Ever since you sent that picture to me at dinner, I've been dying to taste you." His lips tingle up your thighs over the stockings. He glances up at you to make sure you're watching him before he presses his face into you. The tip of his nose nuzzles your clit while his tongue laves your entrance. Your elbows dig into the stairs as you arch your body off them. He hums in delight, drawing his tongue in a wet line to your clit. Tom steadily licks and sucks your hard little bud as he hurriedly unbuttons his shirt and shrugs off his tuxedo jacket. You close your eyes, gasping and writhing, spreading your thighs wider. Two of his long, beautiful fingers slide inside you, pumping steadily. With a rough cry, you seize his hair and pull his mouth harder against you. The spiral of your orgasm clenches then explodes. "Oh god! Fucking Christ, Thomas!"  
He doesn't give you time to recover. He grabs you and carries you back down the stairs. He places the award on the mantel then your hands. He unzips the dress and lets it fall, kicking your legs far apart. You hear his heavy breathing as he quickly strips.  
Tom glides his tongue up your spine then positions himself behind you. You move up onto your toes as he thrusts inside you, stretching you. His hands cover yours, lacing his fingers with your fingers. Neither of you are quiet as he fucks you hard and fast, hanging onto you tightly. The head of his cock rubs your g-spot with every thrust. Your second orgasm explodes in a blinding hot rush. Your body clenches and throws him into his. His wraps his arms around you as you both come down.  
"You should win more awards."  
"You should send me more pictures." He falls back into his chair, pulling you with him. You lay your head back on his shoulder.  
"Yes, I'll move to London after graduation." He shouts and kisses you. "But! But not until I have a job."  
"You don't have to work."  
"I want to."  
"Whatever you desire, my love." He kisses you deeply, his body beginning to stir once more.

You stretch awake with a soft groan the next morning. Tom is wrapped around you, holding you tight against him still asleep. These quiet moments are your favorite with him. Because in them, he isn’t Tom the actor. He is just Tom. The man that makes you happy and has given you so much. He's the man that loves your kids like they're his own. He's just a regular person, YOUR regular person. It makes you so happy. You run through the events of last night. It's insane. And now your secret is officially out. Part of you is dying to see the aftermath on Tumblr. Another part of you kinda doesn’t want to know. The vast majority of Tom’s fans, the group you're a part of, are normal human beings. But a small fraction had a tendency to go nuts.   
But it doesn’t matter about them. You're so damn happy. You probably look like you slept with a hanger in your mouth. Then you think about what Tom said, and you didn’t catch it at the time. He said, “their future cousins.” As in, one day your children will be cousins to his nieces. You'll be a family. It hits you how much he isn’t joking when he says he wants marriage. You glance down at your ring. The reality of it is setting in. It's still too surreal; all you can do is shake your head and smile.  
A handful of minutes later, you hear Tom start to stir behind you. He nuzzles the back of your neck slowly, placing small sleepy kisses there. You moan at it, loving how it felt.  
“G’morning, darling.”  
“Good morning, baby.”  
“Is it really time to get up? I feel like I just laid down.”  
“It’s time, yeah. Come on, come make me tea.” Tom squints at you, one eye still closed.   
“All right, love. I‘m coming.” He yawns.  
After making your way down to the kitchen, you start on a breakfast of eggs and some toast, while Tom works on the tea. You think he makes it better than you. As the water boils, Tom checks his phone for all the notifications he ignored last night. You catch him smiling.  
“What? What is it?”  
“Well…everyone seems to love you as much as I do, darling. Look.” He hands you the phone. The inbox is filled with congratulations and kiss-face smilies, saying how beautiful the two of you were last night.   
“It seems you have your own fan base, love.” He bends to kiss your cheek before the kettle screams.  
You both sit to eat a quiet breakfast, fully enjoying the fact that it's just the two of you. You don’t often get moments like this, and they're always wonderful. You steal glances back and forth then tuck your toes under his thighs in his chair. Tom wraps a hand around your calf, squeezing and massaging. Still being in your silk robe lends an intimacy to the scene.  
But as you finish, a loud knock at the door pierces the quiet, followed by the barreling in of Marie and Jameson and Tom’s niece Jennifer, with his sister Sarah right behind. You leap up trying to cover yourself. It's not like your robe really works to cover much of anything.   
“Momma! I’m so glad to see you!” Jameson shouts as he throws himself around you.   
“Mummy, we misseded you! Did you have so much fun in your new dwess?”  
You kneel down to give kisses and hugs to your kids. You really missed them.  
“My babies, of course I missed you! Did you have fun last night with Miss Emily?”  
“Yeah! We played outside until it got too dark, and then we went over to Aunt Sarah’s house and played with Jennifer!”   
You look up as Tom’s sister walks toward the table, morbidly embarrassed at the sure sight of yourself. Tom is entirely non-plussed about sitting in the chair with only a pair of pajama pants on, Jennifer perched on his lap smiling and giving him a hug. You, on the other hand, wanted to make such a good impression on his family when the time came. And a robe that barely covers your ass is no such way to make that impression.  
“H-Hi…It’s so nice to meet you." You nervously extend your hand towards her. Surely, you're as red as a tomato. But Sarah seems to act like she didn’t even realize you're half naked.  
“It’s so lovely to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you!” She takes your hand but draws you into a hug. You hug her back, thinking maybe it isn’t so bad. She leans back from you then looks down at Tom still snug down in the chair.  
“God Tom, do you ever intend to wear clothes around your house?”  
“Not in the summer, sweetheart. We only get a few months to do it, and I’m taking advantage of it!”  
Sarah rolls her eyes and laughs. The kids run off to play in their room, and you lean down to whisper harshly in Tom’s ear. “I’m half naked. I can’t meet your sister like this! I’m going to change!” You scurry off in the direction of the bedroom, throwing on yoga pants and a real shirt, then quickly return to the table. Sarah has made herself a cup of tea and sits across from Tom, eager to talk to you for a bit before she leaves with Jennifer.  
“So tell me more about yourself. I’ve heard so much from Tommy, but I’d love to hear more from you.”  
You laugh as you settle back down in the chair, and tell her the short version she’d probably already heard from Tom: two kids, one year left in school, and a huge love of books and psychology. And quickly turning into a Londonphile, as well. As Sarah finishes her tea, the kids all come out of the room, and Marie climbs into your lap.   
“Mummy, I has a fweind to pway wif now. I’m so essited!”  
The little girl smiles at you from behind Sarah’s chair. You wave to her as she hides and giggles. With a full head of blonde hair, she's the mirror image of her mother. You look forward to seeing her again and getting to know her.  
Sarah finishes her tea and stands from the table. “I’m so sorry to cut this short, but Jenny and I really do have some errands to run, don’t we, Jen?” The little girl nods at her mother, and you and Tom stand to walk her out. “It really was so lovely to meet you, we have to get together some time when we have more time to chat.”  
“Absolutely, I can’t wait.” Everyone exchanges goodbyes, and Tom shuts the door behind her. You almost fall to the floor in embarrassment.  
“Oh my god, I met your sister and your niece half naked. What the hell.”  
Tom can’t help his laugh. “Don’t worry darling. It wasn’t like you were out in public like that. It was our kitchen table. Besides, I have another sister you can make up for all that.” He winks.  
You roll your eyes. “Cheeky."

You sing to yourself as you lick the spoon. The cookie dough is almost gone. Chocolate chip cookies cover nearly every spot of counter space and the table. The timer goes off for the next two trays. Dancing in the kitchen, baking cookies like back home FEELS like home. It feels natural and right. You don't let yourself think on it too much. You still have a year left of school. And you meant what you said, you wanted to have a job when you did finally move here. You know how vicious the fandom could be. They seemed to love you but they could turn on you if they thought you were using Tom or taking advantage of him.  
Tom and Jameson talk up a storm about comics and heroes and race cars and soccer. Tom promises to take him to a real football game, not the American kind either. Their hands busily build a castle that Jameson drew up.  
Marie shuffles into the room, rubbing her eyes. "Hey, princess. Did you have a good nap?" She nods then settles into his lap.  
"Mummy made cookies."  
"I can smell them."  
"Mummy makes the best cookies, daddy." Marie kisses his cheek then stands up. She pulls on a pretty purple and blue kimono and starts setting up the tea party. She puts a laurel and silver crown on Tom's head from behind. "Daddy, you the hamsome pwince. And you askin' me for mummy to mawwy you so you be da king and she be the queen." She puts a horned headband on Jameson's head. "Bubba, you be da monser. You nap mummy and daddy save her." Marie pretends to pour tea to herself and Tom and Jameson.  
You sit on the play structure eating your still warm cookie. Jameson stomps around the structure, growling and snarling. "Help, oh help. Rescue me, brave prince!" Marie climbs on top of the outdoor table.  
"One mowe into da beach!" She raises her fist to the air. "Like dis, daddy."  
"Just like that, princess. Perfect!" Tom pretends to gallop to the play structure. "I'm coming, lovely maiden!"  
You fan yourself dramatically and pretend to faint as Jameson runs up the slide and jumps over you. He roars at Tom and claws the air. Tom and Jameson fight back and forth, but he let's the five year old win. "Please, please, Monster. Set the fair maiden free! I love her!"  
Jameson stands over him. "Well, if my demands are met. I can let her go."  
"What are your demands?" Tom sits up but Jameson pushes him back down. Tom falls dramatically.  
"Pizza for dinner. And I get to stay up until midnight tonight."  
"Deal!" They shake.  
"Hey!" Tom runs up the slide and kisses you. "Ok, deal."  
~*~  
The clouds roll lazily through the white blue sky. You pet your fingers through Tom's hair. His head rises and falls with your every breath where he lays on your chest.  
"You keep doing that and I'll going to fall asleep."  
"After chasing the kids around this amazing park and that yummy picnic, I don't even need the hair play to sleep."  
"Which one of us is going to stay up with Jameson tonight."  
"Baby, he'll be out before 10. Running around your yard then here. Despite all the cookies that boy has eaten, he'll pass out after his bath."  
"You're such a great mother." He sits up and turns to look down at you, laying his hand flat on your belly. "One day, I'll make you a mother again." Shit. Your stomach drops. He never ceases to make your butterflies frenzy.  
Before you could respond, Marie comes running up. "Mummy! I dotta pee!" She holds herself and squeezes her thighs together.  
You sit up and look around. Jameson runs up, having heard his sister yell.  
"The nearest bathroom?"  
"I think there's one on the other side. A bit of a walk."  
Marie whines. "I gotta go now, daddy!"  
"You're the faster runner. You take her." He nods and pulls his shoes on.  
"Wait. Little girl. Men's room?"  
"They should have a family restroom."  
"Mummy!!! I gotta pee!" She begins to bounce frantically.  
"Hang on, princess." Tom lifts her up and runs full out across the park. Marie's honey blonde pigtails bounce. She laughs like a maniac being jostled by Tom's running, momentarily forgetting her full bladder.  
You pull your shoes on and throw the blanket over your arm and grab the picnic basket. You latch onto Jameson's hand and hurry in the direction Tom and Marie ran.  
You knock on the door to the bathroom just as it opens. Marie is jabbering. "Mummy, did you see how fast daddy wan? I gots the best daddy eber!"  
You fold the blanket but Tom takes it. "So what next, best daddy ever?"  
Tom leans in and takes your chin. "I wanted to take you boating on the Thames but it's getting closer to dinner and Emma and Jack are coming over."  
"Fantastic! Jameson adores Jack."  
Jameson bursts out of the bathroom door, having overheard. "Jack's coming over again?! Yea!!"  
"Did you wash your hands?"  
"Yes, momma."  
Tom interlaces his fingers with yours as the four of you head in the direction of the parking lot. "Storybook park was a fantastic idea. I don't think I've seen Marie this happy in awhile." Tom shrugs and ducks his head. "It was nice to just lay in the sunshine with you."  
He nudges your shoulder with his. "I'm trying to get all the attention I can before you leave me." Your smile drops. "Hey, don't." He turns to you. "I'm sorry I mentioned it. Look, all I meant was- Shit. Kids, hold up." He cups your face and tilts your head up. "Baby, I didn't mean to make you sad. I know you're trying not to think about Sunday. I'm not either. But I want to make this week the best we can have so please don't be sad." His thumb caresses your cheek. You nod. "That's my girl. Let's go get pizza. I'm starving." He kisses your forehead.

Before your eyes even open the next morning, you can tell it's raining. After several days of sunshine, the London rain couldn’t hold off anymore. It was welcome too. The kids always slept better in the rain, especially early-riser Marie. You smile as you feel Tom rubbing your back, thinking you were still asleep.   
“Baby, you’re so good to me.”  
He smiles. “You’re even better to me, darling.” He pulls you even closer then rolls you so you're laying on top with your head tucked under his chin. He carefully kneads the muscles in your back, willing the tight spots to release. You can’t help the moans that fall from your lips. Tom kisses the top of your head as he works the last knot out.   
“I’m never leaving this bed. I’m still tired from last night.”   
Emma and Jack had come over, and despite all the running around Marie and Jameson both did, they still summoned the energy to run rampant all over the backyard, and insisted you and Tom and Aunt Emma and Uncle Jack run with them.  
“You don’t have to, love. I’ll be with the children this morning if you want to sleep still.”  
Tom gently rolls you back beside him and slips out from between the covers. He pads out of the room after pulling them back up around you and giving you another kiss. Making his way to the kitchen, he decides today will be a lazy day. He hasn’t had one in a long while, and it's a good day for one. He sets to making breakfast and tea and before long, Tom hears a shuffling behind him. He turns.  
“Good morning, my princess.” Marie rubs her eyes, still heavy with sleep.  
“G’mornin’ Daddy…where’s Mummy?”  
“She’s still sleeping, sweet girl. So we have to be quiet and let her sleep, okay?”  
Marie nods then looks out the window. “Daddy, it’s waining. How are we spos’ta play when it’s waining?”  
Tom picks her up and brushes her hair out of her eyes and plants a kiss on her cheek. “Well princess, we’re going to have a lazy day today. We’ll watch movies and play inside games and all that. How does that sound?” Marie nods again in approval before Tom sets her down in her chair.   
~*~  
That afternoon, you're still wiped out but kinda taking advantage of the situation. Tom is amazing with the kids, just like you knew he would be. You lounge on the chair, Jameson curled up in your lap watching the movie Tom had slipped in the player.   
“Momma, what is this?”  
“It’s a little British cartoon, baby. Wallace and Gromit.”  
“It looks so funny! Look at the guy’s big teeth!” Jameson points. He laughs as the cartoon plays out and the claymation characters acts out their scene. Tom comes into the living room with a small tray with some fruits and tea. He settles on the floor in front of your chair.  
Marie hops around the room half-watching the little short. The dog certainly got her attention. “Mummy, it’s a cute puppy!”  
“I know, baby. You gotta watch it!”  
She settles on the floor beside Tom and laughs the whole way through the rest of the cartoon, mimicking it. She brings her arms up and shake them back and forth and yell 'Cheese, Gommit!!'. It sends everyone into fits of giggles.   
When it's over, Marie turns around. “Is the moon really made of cheese, Mummy?”  
“Of course, baby girl!”  
“That’s so much cheese!” You and Tom both laugh as she and Jameson get up and look out the window to check the rain. It's still sprinkling.  
Tom stands from his spot on the floor and pulls you up from your chair. “Cheese, eh?” He winks at you.  
“Well, you know…maybe they teach something different here in England about the moon.”  
“Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?”  
“I think we will.” You hadn’t told the kids yet about your decision. You want to wait for the right time, but you're certain they'll be very happy about it.  
Tom and Jameson spend the afternoon building on the dining room floor. They push the table against the wall and set the chairs in strategic places. You and Marie sit on the the floor in the living room painting your nails and toe nails. Tom watches you every now and then. The way your lips part and the tip of your tongue presses against your top teeth as you concentrate. You can hear the two of them talking about soccer and rugby and tennis. Marie's singing 'Everybody wants to be a cat.' When her nails are dry, she jumps up and runs into the dining room.  
"Daddy, sing beaw necessi-sing the beaw song!" You beam to yourself as the three of them sing Bear Necessities at the top of their lungs.  
The rain picks up turning into a thunderstorm by the time the kids go to bed. You sit on Tom's lap on the floor between the beds, reading them Winnie the Pooh. Marie's breath turns heavy first then Jameson's. You stand up and lead Tom quietly from the room.  
"Schools tomorrow, darling?" You nod. "Then the dinner party."  
You turn to him, nervously. "Are you sure about this? I mean, meeting your parents is a big step."  
"Darling, I met your parents in the first two weeks."  
"Yes, but baby, you were living in my house."  
"Listen to yourself."  
"I guess I'm just scared to meet your mom and dad and Ben and Luke. This is big." He wraps his arms around you and folds you against his body.  
"They're going to love you, my sweet. And the kids." He looks down at you as you look up. The moment falls away in a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning. His lips claim yours, capturing your top lip. His tongue meets yours as it darts out. He walks you forward as you walk back. Your back comes up against the glass of the back door. You both reach for the handle at the same time.  
The air is warm but the rain is cool and soaks you both. Tom bends you back as he breaks the kiss. His mouth drops to your nipple, sucking and biting through the wet fabric. Your deep groan makes him shudder and take more of your breast into his mouth. Your ass bumps into the table.  
"Pants off. Now." You nod and wiggle out of the yoga pants. He lifts you up onto the table. His mouth takes yours energetically. You return the kiss with fervor, your hands diving into his wet hair. He reaches down and slips two fingers inside you. He speaks against your lips. "Ah god You're so wet." His thumb presses your clit making your body jerk. "Always ready for me."  
You nuzzle your nose against his, your lips brushing back and forth on his. "I want you. All the time."  
You hook your toes onto the waistband of his track pants and push them down. He grunts breathlessly as his cock springs free. You begin to shiver. From the rain and anticipation. "You make me want bad things." He grabs your hair hard, making you gasp. He teases your entrance, watching your mouth fall open in need, your eyes glaze over. He can't help himself. He licks your lips before kissing you again as he drives into you, muffling your gasping shouts. Each one loud and punctuating his thrusts. Your nails bite into the back of his skull and rake down his arm. Your legs wrap around him, bracing your feet on his thighs. You can feel the muscles work beneath the soles of your feet. His pelvic bone rubs your clit in this position, making you gasp and shake.  
"God, I love you."  
He kisses you deeply, holding you by your hair. His voice is shakey and breathy. "I love you. So so much." Your back arches, your head falling back. He kisses your throat, licking and sucking the rain from your skin, paying close attention to the hollow of your throat. His teeth scrape your collarbone. Each thrust drives his cock against your cervix, skirting the line of pain.  
He grabs your thighs and opens them wider, holding then higher. You lean back on your elbows. Your cries get higher and higher. He glances down to watch himself disappear inside you. He shudders. "Look, my darling. Look how well we fit." You do as he says, watching him thrust inside you. He watches you watch. He lets go of one of your legs to rub your clit. The rain makes it slick. Thunder pops and makes you jerk. "Christ!"  
He thrusts harder into you. Your body tenses. "Thomas!"  
"Cum, baby. Cum for me." He grits his teeth, pounding into you. "Cum, my sweet." It becomes a chant, calling you every pet name he's given you in the last almost 4 months. Your body shakes then stiffens when the orgasm tears through you. You drop back onto the table.  
"Oh god, Thomas! Oh! God!" You convulse with the intensity of it. He leans over you and lets go. Flesh makes a wet slap over and over until he cries out. You feel his cock twitch inside you. His head hangs then he collapses on top of you, inadvertently shielding you from the rain.  
Neither of you say anything. He pulls his pants up. You pick up yours. The pair of you hurry to the bathroom, dripping water in a telltale trail. He kisses you more as the two of you towel off. Your hands are all over each other. You fall into bed, kissing and touching. It's another few hours and orgasms later before you fall asleep, spent, sweaty and sated, tangled together.


	13. Chapter 13

You and Tom follow the headmaster of the first school as he leads you through the halls, showing off all the things that would be available for Jameson. “And here we have our engineering lab for our older students. Grades five and older have full access to this lab. How old is your son?”  
“He’s only five now. He’s gonna love this.”  
Tom nods. “You should have seen him last night, just building that blanket fort. He wanted to make sure it was properly supported! This school is perfect for him, darling, he will love it.”  
The headmaster leads the two of you to the office to sign a few things to save a spot for Jameson when the time came for him to actually enroll. Apparently, it's quite difficult to get into this school and Tom knows that. He doesn’t want you or Jameson to miss out on this opportunity.  
But you start to feel the pressure. A lot of changes are about to be made and it's happening really fast. You pause a blow a deep breath out as you sign the last paper. You poise the pen and almost freeze. Tom runs a hand across your back. “Darling? Are you okay?"  
You snap to attention. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I’m just- I’m all right.” You sign the last line.   
The impending apprehension follows you to the next school, a ballet conservatory for Marie. The instructor has a very stern face and doesn’t seem to have time for games. For your sweet face Marie, that isn’t going to go over well. Right off the bat, you worry.   
The instructor looks you both over and you feel like you've been called to the principal’s office. It isn’t necessarily a feeling you wanted to pass on to your daughter. “Here at the Carlisle Conservatory of Dance, we are very particular about who we allow to attend. All our students here have auditioned and worked to get to their level. And we make it very clear they will continue to work that hard during their time here.”  
Tom doesn’t seem to notice her near-scowl as he smiles at her. She leads you down the halls and stops in front of various doors to showcase the students’ works. “As you can see, our students are the pinnacle of modern dance. We make sure they stay that way. We shape them and mold them into the best they can be.”  
Your first thought was, that wouldn’t happen to be with an electric cattle prod, would it?, but it never left your mouth fortunately.  
“What would be the first step in the admission process?”  
“First, your daughter would have to audition. After the audition comes the entrance exams. Then a panel of judges examine both scores together and come to a mutual decision.” The idea of your Marie having to go through that brings your mind to a screeching halt. This is not what you had in mind when Tom said a ballet school. You don’t know what you had been thinking, but it was definitely not this.   
On the way back to the house, Tom holds your hand and talks excitedly about everything the two of you had seen. He uses his right hand to drive through London traffic. “And did you see the stage Marie would be performing on? She will absolutely love it, darling, don’t you think? Darling? Love, are you listening?”  
The truth is you aren’t. You snap your head up as silence falls over the car. “Yeah! I’m listening. I heard every word, baby.”  
Tom stops at a light and gives you a look. “Then tell me the last thing I said.”  
You open your mouth to speak, but you can’t will a sound to come out. Tom can’t help the small smile but didn’t let up. “Talk to me. What’s wrong? What are you thinking about?”  
You sigh. There's so much to say. You're afraid once you start, you won’t stop. When the light changes, Tom turns his focus to the road again but keeps your hand in his. He runs his thumb over your knuckles lightly.  
As he comds to a stop in front of his house, he turns to you. “Now. Tell me what’s going on in that great gorgeous head of yours.”  
With a deep breath, you spill it. “This is huge, Tom. Enormous. I’m looking at schools for my children for when we leave the only place they’ve ever known to come live here. Thousands of miles away from their grandparents and their friends and even their favorite park. And it’s not that I don’t want to do this. I don’t regret a moment of this, but this is huge. Four months ago, you were this fantasy in my head that I was sure would never happen. Now, I’m sitting in your car and living in your house and sleeping in your bed and- and…using your tea kettle for chri’sakes. And later tonight, I’m going to meet your parents and your best friend. This is massive and life-changing, and it’s happening really, really fast.”  
Tom cocks his head. His eyes speak how hurt he felt at your confession and it breaks your heart. “Are you saying…you don’t want to do this?”  
“No! I want this because I want you. But you have to appreciate how big this is.” Tom drops his head and nods. You hate seeing him like this. You take your hand and raise his head back, looking him deep in his eyes. “I love you. And I want to do this with you. Build a whole life. I just need you to be patient with me. Please.”  
“I didn’t think about that. I’m sorry. I should have realized. I-…I’m so sorry, my love. Please forgive me.” Tom spouts off. He pulls you in for a hug and kisses you.  
“Of course.” He brushes your lips. Your nerves die down a bit, but the evening is still ahead of you. And somehow, you have to make it through that.

The brush moves steadily through your hair. You close your eyes, enjoying the comforting motion. Tom's hand smoothes your tresses after each pass of the brush. You sigh. He lays the brush down then pushes your hair to the side. His soft lips touch upon the tense muscles in your shoulders and neck.  
"Darling? You can relax. It's over. They've all gone home."  
His fingertips push into your neck muscles, working out the knots.  
"I know. Remember how I told you that I get these surreal moments where I feel like this is a dream. I'm having one of those." He leans in to kiss your ear.  
"Tell me. Maybe saying it out loud will make it fell more real."  
You take a deep breath and sigh. The tension you'd be feeling and that you touched upon in the car finally spills out your mouth.  
"I'm terrified, Tom." His hands stop. You swallow and let it all out. "I'm positively terrified that you're going to realize I'm just some girl from middle of nowhere America with two kids from a suspected murderer. That you're going to realize you can do better. That there's someone out there who's smart and beautiful and talented and runs in the same social circles as you. And comes where you come from. And have much more in common than some country single mom. I'm terrified that I'm going to fall even further down this rabbit hole and sell my home and move my children from the only place they've ever known and then you're going to realize that you can do so much better than some fan you met while filming." You twist your hands together and turn to face him, drawing your knee up where you sit between his legs. His frown is set in stern lines. A face you've only seen this face as Coriolanus and Loki.  
"Why would you ever say something like that? You're more than 'some fan' and you're just as good as anyone else out there. You're better, in fact. Because I know you. And I love you. I know this is overwhelming. I didn't realize just how much. You've seen my life. My REAL life. You don't think I worry that you're going to realize that being with me might be more of a headache than I'm worth? That the media, the scrutiny, the separation might be too much and you want to save yourself, and the children for that matter, especially the children, from it? From me? But I look at you and I see the person put on this earth for me." He cups your face and stares into your eyes. "I love you. More than anyone I've ever known. You feel the same, don't you?"  
"Yes." You rest your hands on his wrists. "The schools today. It all felt so real and too much. Are we being selfish? I mean. Am I doing them harm by taking them away from our support system? Everything they've ever known to be with the man I love?"  
"I don't know about that. Is wanting happiness being selfish? No. And I don't believe you're doing them harm. It's not as if you'll never go back once you move here. And they can visit. Your family is welcome. And if you haven't noticed, I'm loaded so don't worry about them not being able to afford it." His thumbs caress your cheeks. "I'll do anything to make you happy."  
You smile shyly. "Can we slow it down a bit?"  
"If that's what you want." Your thumbs trace the veins on the backs of his hands.  
"I like the Academy for Jameson, but that ballet school is not going to happen."  
He laughs suddenly. "And why's that?" He kisses your nose then lets go of your face.  
"For one, that headmistress was a bitch." Tom scoots back on the bed, settling back in the pillows.  
A happy smile takes you. The last few months had been the happiest in a long time. The dinner party tonight let you into a side of Thomas's world that you'd never dreamt of being in. His mother and father seemed to like you. Though you saw the way his father's mouth turned down every time Marie called Tom 'Daddy'. Ben and Sophie seemed to accept you, but you could sense their apprehension, especially with the new baby and all. But truly, the one you worried about the most was Luke. He'd been quiet for the most part. He'd watched you and how you reacted and interacted, how you and Tom behaved together. No doubt, he'd begin vetting you as soon as he got into the office in the morning. That is if he hadn't already.  
You crawl up the bed and settle against his chest. He sighs heavily and wraps his arms around you. "I know it's the best but I don't think it's the place for Marie. I think it's too sterile and stern. Marie is more lively and open. I want her to be the best she can be but I feel like that place would crush her spark."  
His fingers comb through your hair. "You're her mother and I trust you know what's best for her. I'll keep looking. Is that alright?"  
"Yes, baby."  
"Good. I've only got two more days with you and I want them to be as wonderful as we can make them." He squeezes you and you're suddenly reminded of how soon this was going to end.  
Two days from now, you'd be on a plane back to Indiana, back to your life. Without Tom. Your eyes sting with tears and your chest squeezes tight. You bury your face into his chest. "Darling?" You don't answer. "Darling?" You still don't answer. He pulls you up and crushes you to his chest. "Don't cry, my love." He holds you tighter, trying to wrangle in his own emotions, his own tears. "I'll be in the States in a month or two." He kisses your hair, smoothing his hand down your back.  
"I love you."  
"I love you."  
"Show me." He tips your chin up. His eyes search your face, wiping away tears and unruly hair. His lips take yours tenderly. Tom reaches blindly and shuts off the light.  
Thomas shows you how much me loves you. With kisses and touches. His mouth and hands worship your body until you're breathless and crying for a wholly different reason. When he finally slips inside you, it's almost too much. He pins your hands to the bed at sides of your head, fingers locked together. Neither of you look away. You cum together, panting and shaking, holding onto each other's hands.  
Sleep finds you, locked in each other's arms, pressed tightly together.

"So dad...what do you think?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Of (y/n) and the children. What did you think of them? They're wonderful, aren't they?"  
Tom speaks excitedly to his dad the next morning while you're still asleep. He's quietly making breakfast in his small kitchen.  
“Well, I suppose so, yes. I hardly know anything about her. At least, she didn’t have much to say to me.” James Hiddleston drolled on the other end of the line.  
“Well, you made a bit of an imposing scene last night, dad. I’m surprised she said anything.”  
“I did nothing of the sort, young man.” He couldn’t help himself. James Hiddleston had always wanted the very best for his children and worked hard to make it happen for them. And the idea of any woman coming into his only son’s life made him wary. Especially a fan, who wasn’t unfamiliar with how much money he made, with two children in tow.   
“Dad. Be honest, please. What did you think of her?”  
James sighs. To be absolutely honest, he'd never seen his son so happy. The way Tom beamed at you and the kids, it was like you were the only things in the world.  
“Does she make you happy?”  
“Unbelievably, dad.”  
“And what about that little girl of hers…”  
“Marie.”  
“Yes, her. Why does she call you Daddy?” He's suspicious, especially if the intent of that was less than pure. But Tom laughs it off.  
“I'm the closest thing to a father she’s ever had. Her real father was never there for her. Or Jameson, for that matter. He decided after they were born he didn’t want anything to do with them. But dad, it’s all right. I know what you’re thinking- and she’s called me that all on her own for months now. It wasn’t part of some secret plot to ingratiate them to me. She would never do something like that.”  
James sighs again. “I just don’t want to see you hurt again like when you were with that Arthy woman, son.”  
“(Y/n) is nothing like Jane. I would never have let her in if she was.”  
“Well…in that case, as long as she makes you happy, then I’m happy for you.”  
Tom grins at his dad’s confession. To have his parents’ approval meant the world to him in this matter. “Thanks very much, dad. It really means a lot to me.”  
“Yes well, you would have stayed with her anyway, wouldn’t you? It’s like when I tried to convince you to leave acting and look how well that went, eh?”  
“I think we can both agree who won that argument, though.”  
They share a quiet laugh, before exchanging goodbyes. Before he hangs up, James tells Tom to call his mother. “I’m sure she’d love to tell you what she thinks of everything, she usually does!”  
Tom finishes his first cup of coffee as his phone chimes. It's a text message from Luke. *I assume you realize I’ve run her name down, yes? -LW*  
Tom raises his eyebrows and nods to himself. *I have no doubt, even if I’d asked you not to -T*  
*Good, I did anyway. Did you know she was in the to 20% of her class? -LW*  
*No, no idea. See, nothing to worry about -T*  
*Did you also know the father of her children is currently in prison back in the States for possible murders? Did she happen to leave that part out? -LW*  
*I know all about that Luke. I was there when he was arrested because he attacked us that evening as we were leaving her home. -T* There's a few minutes of silence before Tom responds again. *Luke I know you’re just doing your job and trying to protect me. But she’s been an open book from day one. There’s nothing she would hide from me. I love her. I know she loves me. -T*  
*All right. I can’t say anything else, but I can tell she supports you. You should have seen her that night at the ESTA’s, she was exactly as I’d hoped for you. -LW*  
Tom smiles. The two hardest votes are won in your favor, and with hardly any fight. He couldn’t wait to tell you.  
Tom sneaks back upstairs to find you now half awake and reaching for him on his side of the bed. He just watches for a minute before you find his pillow blindly and hug it close. You breath in his whole scent- the shampoo he used, the Kiehls’ soap he lathered up with every morning, mixed with the way his skin naturally smelled. You'd never find another scent like it if you looked a hundred years. You want to bottle it and keep it for when you had to go back home.  
He can’t stand the sight anymore. Tom toes off his running shoes and slips around to the far side of the bed. He crawls onto the mattress slowly, trying to keep you from waking up fully. He reaches out and gently pulls the pillow out of your grasp then tugs your arms around him. You breathe in deeply as you pull him even closer than you had the pillow, twining your fingers around the strings of his hoodie and the split down the middle. He kissed your forehead and your cheeks as you wake up little by little, opening your eyes last.  
Tom loves watching your sleepy eyes open and smile at him. It makes him feel whole. Like he's found something he didn’t know he was missing until right then. “Good morning, my darling.”  
“G’morning, baby.”  
“What do you want to do today? We can do anything you want, love.”  
“I don’t care,” you whisper. “As long as I’m with you."

Mrs. Hiddleston sips her wine then laces her fingers together. "Thomas tells me you're going to school for your masters degree?"  
"Yes, in psychology."  
"You already have your bachelor's?"  
"Yes, ma'am. Magna cum laud."  
"That is impressive. How long have you been a librarian?" You start to feel interrogated and it's not pleasant. You had met Jimmy's mom under very different circumstances and she'd grown to be a second mother. Meeting Tom's mom is not going as you'd hoped.  
"I've been a librarian for ten years. I started out part time after my father's heart attack when I went back to school. They hired me on full time a year later. And I was promoted to head librarian four years after that." You tilt your head to the side and squint your eyes slightly. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Hiddleston, but am I interviewing to date your son?"  
Her smirk set your nerves on end. "Mother, I hope you didn't invite us to lunch to interrogate her on her last day in London."  
"My apologies if its coming off like that. I merely want to get to know the woman who has managed to win the heart of my only son."  
"There are better ways to do that."  
"Not when she lives half a world away, Thomas. It's not like I can invite her out to lunch spur of the moment."  
"Once she graduates, they'll be moving here with me."  
"After I have a job, Tom. I'm not just moving here and expecting you to support the kids and I."  
"I told you-"  
His mother eyes the exchange. You hold up your hand. This path of conversation isn't one you wanted to go down with his mother in public. "We're not discussing this here." You glance at the kids playing in the grass courtyard. "Mrs. Hiddleston, you are welcome to call me anytime and talk."  
"I'll do just that. There is one thing I feel I must address."  
"Yes, mum?"  
She looks over her shoulder at the children playing together. Your stomach twists. "Why does Marie call Thomas 'Daddy' when he's clearly not? You've only known each other four months."  
"Mrs. Hiddleston-"  
"Please, call me Diana."  
Tom squeezes your hand then laces his fingers with yours. His thumb caresses your thigh. You glance down at your hands and smile. Just the simple act of holding your hand calms you. His large hand dwarfing yours somehow made you feel safe, secure. You look at Tom. His soft smile is encouraging, supporting. You know if you don't answer, he will.  
"Diana, Marie chose to call Tom 'daddy' on her own. They actually kept it a secret from me for awhile. She never knew her father and Tom has been one in every sense of the word."  
"But don't your children have the same father?"  
"They do. Jimmy and I were wild. I'm not going to lie. But my father nearly died. That changed my life. Then Jameson came. And Jimmy didn't quite get with the program that it was time to grow up. I found out I was pregnant with Marie. And Jimmy decided he didn't want kids. He ran. He's never seen her."   
Tom watches many things pass over your face and his mom's. "Does Jameson see his father?"  
"No, he hasn't since Jimmy left. He gets a call on his birthday and promises that are always broken."  
"That's awful." You shrug. Tom catches your chin and turns you to face him. You hadn't told him about the gut-wrenching phone calls that ruin your son's birthday every year. His thumb caresses your cheek. "But he doesn't call Tom 'Daddy'?"  
"No, he asked me once if he had to and I told him no. That it was between the two of them."  
"I'm going to be blunt with you both. I want only happiness for my son. Just as you do for your son. The only other time I've seen Thomas this happy is when he's acting. I don't want to see him taken advantage of."  
"I have no intention of doing that." The conversation continues, but you feel like you've been put on point.

You settle onto he couch and pull the blanket about your lap. The kids sit on the floor, coloring. Tom drops down next to you and pulls the blanket over his lap. His arm curls around your shoulders. "She hates me." You rest your forehead on his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him.  
His lips press to your head as his fingers comb through your hair then rest at the back of your neck. "She doesn't hate you. She just doesn't know you." He holds your head against his lips. You close your eyes and breath him in again. He tilts your head up and presses his lips to yours.  
You sigh. "I love you."  
"I love you."

The last of your stuff has been packed and the suitcases put by the door. In the morning, you and the kids were leaving this fantasy world behind and going home. It wasn't at all what you wanted to happen. In fact, you'd like nothing more than to freeze time and stay right where you are, wrapped in Tom's arms.  
He strokes your hair and studies your face, committing every detail to memory. Every little freckle and eyelash. You look deep into his eyes as they scan yours.   
Neither of you say much. You don't know what to say anyway. How can you tell the man you love you're terrified to leave because surely he'll find someone else instead? That you want nothing more than to spend the rest of your days here with him? And how can Tom fully express to you how empty his home will feel once you leave? He wants to think he was used to the quiet, but after these last two weeks, it will be unbearable. There will be no blanket fort building. No coloring books with princess pictures. No beautiful woman he loved making dinner flitting around his kitchen.   
Tom wraps a hand around the back of your head and pulls your lips against his. He whispers, "I love you," and kisses you softer and more loving than you'd ever been kissed. You reach up and cup his face, tracing your fingertips over the lines that frame his mouth. You love those. As the kiss breaks gently, you rest your forehead against his. You slide your body to press against his and feel him stir against your hip. Thank god. You need that more than anything else.  
You kiss Tom again, deeper this time. He slides his free hand to the hem of your night shirt and pushes it up. Your fingers creep into his hair and grip it. Neither of you let go of the others' eyes as you push Tom's shorts down off his hips and his cock springs free. He grabs the back of your top leg and pulls it around him then slides his fingers across your wet slit. You moan as he brushes your clit. He traces a finger around it, drawing it out.   
You move your fingers across his lower stomach, tracing patterns with the tips. They follow the outline of his defined abdomen and make their way to his hard cock. He's desperate for you, just as you're for him. You wrap your fingers around him and listen as his breath catches in his throat. Slowly, you pump him. You still hold each other's eyes like the other will disappear if you look away.   
You guide him to your entrance and watch his jaw slack as he pushes inside of you. You hardly contain your own reaction, a whimper as he fills you to your very limit. Tom grips your hips tightly as he begins to move. He can't help himself. He's more desperate than he's ever been to feel you come undone with him. He picks up his pace as your eyes blur with tears. A torrent of them soon fall from Tom's own eyes. You move your own hips to meet with his thrusts. Both your moans and cries fill the room as you drive closer and closer to your climax.   
"Please love, cum for me," Tom begs through quiet sobs. He slips his fingers between your bodies to circle your clit. You rake your fingers through his hair and down his back, memorizing every muscle and patch of skin, scratching as you went. A few more brushes against you and you keen. You arch your back and press your breasts to his chest and feel him buck hard against you. He found his own release with a deep groan, riding it out inside you.   
As Tom softened and pulled out of you gently, your tears keep coming. So did his. He pulls you tight against him and you wrap your arms around him. You can't get close enough. You try to comfort each other through your own tears and subdued sobs. He begs you not to leave. You tell him you have to.   
"It's for one school year. That's only nine months in the States. And then we'll be here permanently. As long as you'll still have us."  
"I would have you forever. I love you."  
"I love you." You both fall into a restless sleep. Tomorrow is sure to be a nightmare come true.


	14. Chapter 14

Your first week back, you don't have time to think, let alone miss him. But you do. And it gets you when you least expect it. Sitting in the car, waiting for Jameson to get done with soccer practice, shelving books in the room he sat in for months. Between his filming a documentary, your class and work schedule, Marie's dance class, Jameson's soccer, you barely have time to call him. Text is your main communication and it varies from happy and fun to full on emotional torture. It's the first Saturday in September and nearly 3 weeks since you left London that the four of you get to Skype.  
Marie jumps up and down on your lap as Tom's face fills the laptop screen. "Daddy!!"  
"Hi Tom!"  
"Hey, baby."  
You watch his eyes fill with tears and your own spring up. God, you miss him. And seeing him like this, you feel it even more. "Hello, my darlings! Please tell me everything I've missed. I'm all yours."  
Marie regals him with tales of preschool and dance class. She shows him a new move she learned and he claps. You stare at the monitor and just watch the way his face reacts. His eyes shine with love and pride for your little girl. His handsome face is so animated as he talks to her.  
When it's finally Jameson's turn, he goes full on. Telling Tom about the goals he's scored, one in each practice. You see the pride in his eyes double when Jameson tells him that he's started practicing tennis in the backyard. "My pool is full of tennis balls." The two of you share a laugh. Tom glances at you and your heart skips a beat. Jameson finishes telling him about school and the new teacher and the new kid that likes to play with him.  
You swallow when it's finally your turn. "Hang on, baby. I've gotta put the kids to bed."  
"Of course." Marie and Jameson say their good night's and Marie kisses the screen. You quickly tuck them into bed then run back downstairs. Your stomach is a ball of excitement. Almost like the first time Tom drove you home.  
"You're all mine now."  
"I am." You hear rustling. "What's that?"  
"Touching your face. I've missed you."  
"I've missed you too. How's filming?"  
"Boring. Narrating is fun. I love the voice work but the shots are draining."  
"I'm sorry, baby." And like that, you fall into easy conversation. Tom goes into more detail about filming and you tell him about the back to school week at the library and all the course work you have ahead of you. Words fall away and the two of you stare at each other. "I love you."  
"I love you. The house feels so quiet and empty. I miss you in my arms."  
You look down at your lap, swallowing the lump. "I miss your arms around me. Is your bed as cold as mine?"  
"Definitely, darling."  
You take a deep breath and sigh. "Is it always going to be this hard?"  
"I hope so. I can't imagine being alright with being away from you." You look at the clock and it's nearly 2 a.m.  
"Oh god, Thomas, I've kept you up all night."  
"It's worth it."  
"I can't believe we've been on this thing for 6 hours."  
"I've barely gotten to talk to you since we've been apart. One night of lost sleep is a willing sacrifice. But I really must turn in."  
"Alright, baby. Get some sleep. I love you." You touch the screen.  
"I love you. Goodnight, my darling." You and he blow kisses. His face winks out and your chest clenches.  
Drawing your knees up, you cry softly in the chair, resting your face against your knees. Your phone vibrates. The picture displayed is you and Tom at the Tower of London. You sniff then answer. "Hey baby."  
"Don't cry, my love. Please."  
"I'm not."  
"Liar."  
You wipe your tears with the back of your hand. "So I'm crying."  
"Countdown the days until I'm there."  
"October 25th. That's like 50 days, baby."  
"And I'll be in your arms." You hear sheets rustle. "I want you to do something for me."  
"What's that?"  
"I want you to take two pictures a day. One of you doing something that makes you smile."  
"Ok. And the other?"  
He clears his throat. "The other is of your face or your body when you're pleasuring yourself thinking of me." Your breath escapes you in a sigh. His tone makes things clench. "Will you do that for me?"  
"Yes"  
"Good girl. Now, go take your first picture. Good night, my beautiful yank. I love you."  
"I love you, limey. Good night."

You stand in the kitchen boiling water for tea. It's a comfort you could afford yourself with him gone. Tom had left a whole box of his tea in your cabinet when he left, on purpose you think. He knows you loved it too and just the scent of the Earl Grey comforts you considerably. It's really too late to be doing anything but going to bed, especially after the morning you had. But your bed is so empty without him. You've never noticed how big it was before, but now that you're aware of it, you can't escape it. A few nights in the last two weeks, you've even let Jameson and Marie sleep with you in an attempt to help ease the ache left. Having your babies so close always makes you feel better.   
You pull the kettle off before it whistles and risks waking them and pour the steaming water into the cup. It immediately begins to darken to a rich brown as the leaves began to infuse. As you wait for it to steep, you pull down the little cookies he loves so much and place one on the saucer. You open the fridge door and reach for the milk, splashing a little into your cup. As you turn around to put it away, you hear a small voice at the top of your stairs.  
"Mummy? Are you awake?"  
You sigh. It's well past time for Marie to be asleep, and all you want is a moment alone to think about Tom and how much you missed him. You walk to the bottom of the stairs and see Marie in her pink little nightgown. "Sweetie, what are you doing awake? You should be in bed right now."  
"I can't sweep. I fink dere's a mons’er in my room."  
You close your eyes for a moment and breathe out. "Come down here." You wave your hand. Marie climbs down the steps carefully and you pick her up, seating her at your waist. You walk back into the kitchen and pick up the saucer with the cookie on it, handing it to Marie, and carry your tea cup into the den. Sitting down, you place the cup and the saucer on the side table.  
Marie curls up around you on your chest. "Mummy, I miss Daddy." Your heart clenches. Tears burn the edges of your eyes. "I wanna see him." Marie hops off the couch and reaches for your iPad. She hands it to you, meaning she wants you to Skype him. It would be almost 3:00 in the morning in London now.  
"Sweetie, I think he's asleep right now. We shouldn't wake him up." It tears your heart apart to watch her face contort like it does. She doesn't understand.   
"But mummy, dis how I seen him last time. Why not again?" Marie shrugs.  
You fold. "Come here, sweetheart, let's try." Your heart aches. And this is actually the only thing you want in the world, so you figure screw it. If nothing else, you can leave him a video message. Marie settles into your lap as you pulls the app up and check if Tom is online. No surprise, he isn't, so you hit record and start to leave him a message. "Hi baby, it's me-"  
"and me!" Marie waves.  
You laugh before continuing. "Yes and Marie. We just wanted to say hello and how much we miss you, and we hope you're having fun working on your new documentary. Isn't that right, princess?" “Yes! Mummy says its got aminimals in it!"  
You laugh lightly again and prompt her. "Say, 'I miss you'?"   
"I miss you!”  
"Say 'I love you'?"  
"I yove you! And mummy do too!" Marie turns around and places her small hands on each of your cheeks.  
"Okay, sweetheart, calm down, it's bedtime. Can you give a kiss?"  
Marie leans over and places a gentle kiss on the screen. It makes you smile. "Night night, Daddy!" She waves at the screen as you blow a kiss.   
"Good night, baby. I love you. I'll see you soon."  
You don't feel quite so heavy as you hit "send" and toss the iPad to the other end of the couch and carry Marie up the stairs back to bed.  
“Good night, my princess. I love you.” You tuck her back in.  
“I yove you, Mummy. I see you in da morning.”  
You walk back downstairs and settle onto the couch, tea cup in hand. You know you shouldn't drink it and not just because it's so late. You listened carefully to what the doctor told you that morning. This is not just the stomach flu. That sick feeling that had been following you for the last few weeks is far more than that. The doctor confirmed it, twice. And when the “p” word fell from her mouth, the breath left your lungs. You're pregnant.  
You couldn’t believe it at first. There was no way. You took your birth control like clockwork, every day. You couldn’t afford to lose your focus when you were this close to the end of school. Not that a baby would ever be looked at as a burden. You’ve only known about it for twelve hours, and you're already in love with it. But what about Tom? What will he say? Surely, he will love it, right? He loves Jameson and Marie like they're his own. His actual own will only be even greater, won’t it? God, you hope so.   
You hold the cup close to your nose and close your eyes. If you smell the tea enough, it's like he's right there with you. You have to tell him. Tomorrow. Before this got away from you. You nod and say it out loud in the empty room. “Tomorrow. I’m gonna tell him I’m pregnant tomorrow.”  
You sniff the tea until it grows cold then pours it down the sink. You climb the stairs to your room but kneel down and pick up Tom’s shirt you’d hidden under your bed months ago. You shed your own t-shirt and slip his on. You climb into bed, resting your hand on your stomach. Tomorrow is coming fast.

The kids are at school so there is no chance of them over hearing. You log into Skype to find Tom waiting for you like he said he would be.  
"There's my beautiful darling. So what's this news?" Your stomach flips. You take a deep breath and sigh. "Love? You're worrying me. What's wrong?" His face draws long.  
"Oh god. Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I'm just- nervous and scared." You drag your hand over your hair.  
Tom laughs. "Scared of what, darling?"  
You take in his joyous grin. How could you ever doubt that he'd be upset about you being pregnant with his child.  
"Tom, I'm-" You take a deep breath and blow it out. "Tom, I'm pregnant."  
His face falls slightly and you flinch inwardly. Oh god. He's going to dump you. "You're-" He clears his throat. "You're pregnant."  
You bite your bottom lip and look down at the sonogram picture. It wasn't much. Just a tiny spec. But the next one would look like a little bear or alien. You hold the picture up to the camera and point. "This little spec is our baby." Tom's shock is clearly evident.  
"I thought you were on birth control."  
"I was. Dr. Mizrahi said it was that 1% failure rate." You carefully set the pixelated picture down. "I'm sorry, Tom."  
"What?"  
"I know this isn't what you wanted right now with your career in full swing."  
"Shut that nonsense up." You look up at him. "I'm shocked, yes. But you know I want a family. One with you. Timing is just off. I want to be there with you."  
"So you're not upset?"  
"Upset? Heavens, no. Shocked. Not upset. I just need to process. I wish I could sweep you up in my arms and kiss your belly and tell the baby how happy I am."  
"So you're happy?"  
"Of course." His tone makes it seem like there could be no other reaction. "Of course, I'm happy. I love you. I'm just dejected that we're so far away right now." His stunning smile breaks over his handsome face. "The woman I love just told me I'm going to be father." He leans back in the chair and sweeps back his hair. "I'm gonna be a father." You smile. "I'm gonna be a father!" He becomes more animated each time he says it. You can't help but laugh. He kisses the camera. "Oh my darling. I love you. I love you too, baby." He blows a kiss at a downward angle.  
"I love you, Tom."  
"If you need anything, you call. No matter the time."  
"Baby, you're half a world away."  
"I don't care. I'll make calls."  
You look at the clock. "Shit. I've gotta go."  
"Alright, love. I love you."  
"I love you, too."

You stand in your bedroom, finger to your mouth. Taking stock of what could go and what could get moved to fit a small bassinet in the corner, along with everything else you’d need. You so wish Tom could be here to help, but it will only be a few weeks anyway. It certainly helps that he calls even more often than before. He doesn’t want to miss a thing. As you contemplate, you hear a chime from downstairs. It's your Skype alert.  
You rush down the stairs and catch it just in time, clicking the video button and opening the window. There sits Tom, already beaming at you.  
“Hi, baby,” you breathe.  
“There’s my love. I was so afraid I would miss you this afternoon.”  
“I caught it just in time, I think.”  
“Stand up, let me see.”  
You laugh and half roll your eyes. “Tom, you’re not going to be able to see anything yet. The baby is smaller than a grape still.”  
“Please, darling? I just want to see for myself.” His pleading eyes make you cave and you stand up. You lift your shirt enough to show your stomach and watch as Tom smiles bigger. “No, I’m convinced, my love. I can tell a difference. I can see him!”  
“Him? You think it’s a boy already?”  
He nods. “I can tell. I have a good fatherly sense about it now.”  
You sit back down and raise your eyebrows at him. “Oh, do you now? Of the two of us, I would hope I had a better sense, sweetheart.”  
Tom doesn’t stop his laugh. “Well darling, I don’t know what to tell you about these things. A father just knows!”  
Shaking your head with a smile, you can’t help it. He's unbearably sweet and unbelievably supportive of all this, despite happening so quickly.  
“You’re gonna be an amazing father. You *are* an amazing father.”  
“And you’re an amazing mother. You can’t imagine how that feels.” A quiet moment passes, the two of you just looking at each other. Finally, Tom breaks the silence. “Love, I’m so sorry, but I have to go. They need me soon at the studio.”  
“Okay. Go, go work.”  
“I love you. Both of you.”  
“We love you too.” Tom blows two kisses before you close the chat window, your heart feeling light as a feather.

The toilet lid clatters against the tank. Once again, you find yourself on your knees praying to porcelain. Afterwards, you sit and rest your head against the wall. You can't remember being this sick with either Jameson or Marie. You can't keep a single thing down. Save for oyster crackers. And Gatorade. They stay the longest. You wait to see if you're going to vomit again before you flush the toilet. You rinse your mouth out and fix your hair before returning to work.

Nina watches you humming to yourself as you move around the kitchen. She squints at you and listens carefully. You hum 'Once Upon a Dream' from Sleeping Beauty. She slides off the barstool and corners you.  
"Nina, what are you doing?"  
Your best friend sniffs your breath. Mint with an underlying acid smell. "Oh my god! When were you planning on telling me?!"  
"Shhh. Keep your voice down for fucks sake."  
Nina grits her teeth and stays right beside you. "How far along are you? About six or seven?"  
"Seven. And Tom and I were going to tell everyone at Marie's birthday party. We're hoping to have sonogram pictures. It'll be too early to know sex but at least, he'll have something to take home to London with him."  
"If he goes back home."  
You sigh and look out into the yard. Wade and the kids are in the pool. The four children gang up on him. "He has to go home to London before November 12th. He has to settle things before he goes to L.A. to film the last 2 Avengers movies."  
"Is he going to be around for any of the pregnancy?"  
"Nina, please. It's not like he doesn't want to be here. He almost backed out of Chicago."  
Your best friend throws up her hands. "And where is this going to be?"  
"Broadway."  
"So what? London for the first trimester. L.A. for the second and New York for the third? Is he even going to BE HERE for the birth?"  
"You know what. Just stop. Tom loves me. He loves my kids. He loves our baby. You should see him, Nina. He is NOTHING like Jimmy was. He's already talking about nursery themes and finding the right pediatrician. He's already a better father than Jimmy EVER was. So don't you even begin to compare them."  
"I wasn't-"  
"Yes, you were. I could see it on your face." You toss the bowl of salad into the sink and shove her out of the way. "I need to lay down. Let me know when Wade is ready to start the grill." You don't look back as you leave her by the sink and climb the stairs.


	15. Chapter 15

Today is the day. Tom's flying in today from London. As you maneuver your car through traffic trying to make it to the airport on time, you pray you don’t miss his arrival. You would have been on time if you weren’t so sick this morning. It's almost like it's getting worse. But you're almost there, and whip into the parking deck. Finding a spot quickly, you park and fight another wave of nausea.   
“Not right now, please not now.” You take a deep breath to settle yourself. It passes quickly, thankfully.  
You jog into the terminal, looking for the arrivals board. Gate C-17 and it's on time. Shit. You quickly scan the signs overhead looking for Terminal C and spot it. You can’t go as far down as you want to because of security, but you can see the sign for his gate. The plane'a at the gangway. And the first set of passengers are already making their way down towards you.  
“Where are you, baby?” You whisper more to yourself. Another handful of passengers make their way off the plane but no sign of Tom. Your breath quickens. Your heart starts to race. “No, where are you?” The ground starts to falter.  
But finally, there he is. You can’t miss him if you try. His height gives him entirely away. And the fact that he’s styled his hair the way you like. It gives him another two inches. The smile that breaks out on your face gives you away to him. Even from the far end of the terminal. Tom breaks out in his own smile and then a run toward you. His long legs take almost no effort to run the length of the building.   
You hold your arms out as he gets closer. He lets his bag fall from his shoulder as he finally reaches you, picks you up and spins you around.   
“Tom! You’re finally here.”  
“I am. I’m home, darling. I’m finally home.”  
He finally sets you down after he’d had his fill of kisses for the moment. You lead him to the baggage claim. Neither of you keep your eyes or hands off each other. Just to feel his hand inside yours takes every one of your worries away. Nina is wrong. This proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt for you.  
On the way back to the car, Tom loads his suitcase into the trunk and looks around carefully.  
“What? What is it?”  
“Just…checking to make…sure…” He scans the deck for anyone else who may be watching. Suddenly, he drops to his knees and pulls your shirt up.  
“OH! Tom, what are you—“  
“Shh, it’s all right, love. Mummy is just surprised, that’s all. I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you. I can’t wait to see you in a few months. I’m so excited! Mummy is too, I’m sure.” He murmurs softly to your navel.   
A small laugh escapes your lips. Tom smiles against your skin and nuzzles you. He plants a string of kisses all the way across from one hip to another. Afterward, he stands back up and brushes the hair back off your shoulders.  
“I just wanted to say hello to my son, darling.”  
“Silly man. You’re too much sometimes, you know that?”  
“Maybe. But you so love it.”  
“I do. And you, too."

The alarm blares and disturbs the puppy pile in your bed. You brush Marie's feet from your face and start to sit up. Tom moans and holds your belly tighter.  
"Tom, baby, let me up."  
"No, my darling." He presses his face into your belly then nuzzles and kisses it.  
"I have to pee. Let me up." He groans and rolls onto his back. Jameson rolls over and flops onto Tom. You scoot to the edge then stretch and stand. "It's like Jonestown in here." Tom chuckles and combs his fingers through your son's hair. The wave of nausea hits you in the gut. You press your lips together and your hand to your mouth before you dart into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.  
You barely make it to the toilet in time. In the process of vomiting, you wet yourself. Tom peeks in the door. "Love, are you alright?"  
You rest your head on the cool porcelain seat. "Go away, Tom. Please. I don't want you to see me like this." You wretch into the toilet again. Tom frowns and opens the door more.  
"Darling?"  
"Please just go."  
"Daddy? You fix bweakfass. Mummy sick." Marie tugs on his hand.  
"I'll get the kids ready. If you need me, just yell." The door closes behind him. You vomit once more before you're able to leave the toilet. You strip down and start the shower. Your bump is still small but it's there. A soft curve of your belly. You moan into your hands as the hot water beats your back. Whoever said pregnancy is a beautiful thing never pissed themselves while Linda Blairing popcorn and grilled cheese.  
You feel Tom's arms wrap around your middle. "I set you coffee on the counter. And you have toast and fruit waiting for you." He kisses your wet hair. "Feeling better?"  
"Yes. Where are the kids?"  
"Eating breakfast at the table." You lean against him. His hands lay flat across your stomach. "I'm terribly excited to see my boy on screen." The two of you sway back and forth.  
"Following in daddy's footsteps, eh?"  
"His first staring role." His lips feel soft and cool against the hot water. "So when do we get to have this insanely hot pregnancy sex?"  
"Wha-what?" You laugh and tilt your head back.  
Tom grins against your skin then bites your shoulder playfully. "Ben told me that a positive for us fathers is the insanely hot pregnancy sex."  
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's not while I'm throwing up nearly clockwork."  
Tom chuckles then cups your breasts. "I'll let you ride me so you can jump up and come in here if you need to."  
"Oh that's sexy."  
"You're carrying my child. My son. There is nothing sexier than that."  
Marie bangs on the glass. Tom scoots around behind you. "Mummy, daddy, time for bus."  
"Alright, May may, we'll be out in a minute."  
Marie giggles. "I seed daddy butt." Tom groans but you laugh.

Dr. Mizrahi looks over the chart. "So you are the father?"  
Tom shifts in his chair. "Yes."  
"You're tall. Baby will be big. Too big, we'll have to take."  
"Dr. Mizrahi, this is Tom's first baby. Please don't traumatize him." The three of you laugh and the tension is broken.  
"Sorry. Ok. Let's take a look." The stern looking Pakistani woman squirts ultrasound jelly on your belly.  
"Hey that's warm."  
"Yes, I hated cold goo. Baby likes it more too. Now let's see the little bean."  
Tom takes your hand then wraps his other over it. The rapid whump whoosh of the fetal heartbeat fills the dim room. Tom's eyes grow wide.  
"Baby has good strong heart." The doctor takes measurements and types and clicks then turns the monitor for the two of you to see. "Another couple weeks and we'll be able to see if it's a boy or girl. Here's baby's heart." Tom gapes at the monitor. You bite your lip as you watch the joy and happiness crash over his radiant face. A tiny little skull profile comes into grainy view. You glance from your boy to your man. "Say hello to baby, daddy." The baby turns as if in response so that it appears to be looking out of the screen. You tear up as Tom goes from ecstatic to jubilant.

That night, you and Tom lay in your bed. You on your back with Tom nestled in between your legs. He plants little kisses and traces patterns on your stomach as you talk back and forth about all sorts of baby stuff.  
"I like the name 'Henry', babe. If it's a boy like you want."  
"Oh really? That wouldn't have anything to do with your favorite role, would it?" Tom shoots you a cheeky smile.  
You smirk. "Maybe. But it's a great name, don't you think?"  
"I love it, sweetheart. You're putting in the work, and if that name makes you happy, then I'm all for it."  
You smile and run your fingers through his hair.  
"How should we decorate the nursery? I can get the same painter I got for Jameson and Marie's room, I bet."  
"Did you have something in mind?"  
"Well, what about animals? Like…monkeys and lions? Does that sound good?”  
“That sounds wonderful. I didn’t think I would have to decide again on a nursery theme after Marie. It’s nice to have help with it at least.”  
Tom pause. Something bigger is on his mind than just murals and names. “Darling…I want to ask to…”  
You pause. Was this the moment the other shoe dropped? “What is it?”  
“If…if this baby were born- what I mean is, if we had him and-“  
Your hormonal brain was kicking into high gear. “Tom, spit it out. You’re making me nervous.”  
“I want him to be born in London.” His eyes are consumed with worry. He's afraid you would flat-out deny him or not even hear him out.  
“Darling, I’ve thought about it a lot. If we were to have our son in London, he would have dual citizenship. He would be able to take advantage of all the benefits of both countries. And it would make it easier for you and the children too, to file for dual citizenship. So you could work and live there without worry or concern that they wouldn’t be able to attend school, or who knows what.”  
You pause now. He really had thought about it. And you're going to move anyway. It's not a terrible idea. Even though the timing isn’t what you wanted. You hadn’t wanted to move until you had a job. But things kinda outside your control are happening to move that along.  
You smile. “That…that may be a really good idea.”  
Tom beams. His idea has gone over well. “I can’t wait to tell everyone, darling. I’m so excited. You can’t imagine.”  
“Um, I bet I can imagine. I’ve done this a couple times before, remember?” You can’t hold back your giggle. Neither can Tom.  
“Ehehehe…I’m sorry, love. I’m just so excited. It’s our first little life together, that we’ve made.” He traces ticklish patterns over your small bump. Tom looks at you and your tiny swell with all the love in the world, and you think his heart will burst. He's madly in love with you and your tiny little life. Tears wells in your eyes and his as you look at each other.  
“I can’t wait to tell every single soul on earth about this. About him.”  
“You’re so certain it’s a boy. You may be very disappointed in a couple weeks. You never know!”  
“It doesn’t matter. Either way, I’m over the moon.”  
“I know. I can tell.”  
“When is Marie’s party?”  
“On Saturday. Only four more days.”  
“Okay. I can’t wait, my darling.”  
“Me either. But I am exhausted. I really think we should get some sleep.”  
Tom crawls up from between your legs and presses his lips against yours. His kiss is gentle and sweet and filled with so much love you can hardly stand it. As he breaks slowly, he whispers, “I love you so much.”  
“I love you, too.”  
Tom lays a hand over your tiny bump, stroking his thumb over your skin. You reach for the light and flick it off. You settle into each other with your back pressed against his muscular chest. His hand gently cups your swell. You missed this so much, and to finally have it is incredible. Only four more days and you can finally tell everyone your family is expanding even more.

You and Tom lay next to each other panting and laughing. "If this isn't insanely hot pregnancy sex, I don't think I'll survive it when it comes, darling." He pushes himself up to lean over you to kiss you deeply. "God, I missed you. Only 2 months and I nearly went mad." He licks his lips, catching his breath. "When does Jack's cookout start?"  
"In a few hours. Why?"  
His smile becomes a mischievous Loki grin. He flips you onto your stomach then kisses down your spine. He takes your hands and places them on the rails of the headboard. "Don't let go or I'll stop." Tom kisses his way back down your spine and playfully bites your ass. He spreads your legs then pushes you up onto your knees. Your stomach twists in need. But surprisingly, he doesn't position himself to take you. Instead, his hot, hungry mouth devours your cunt from behind. You scream and shout his name. "Yes, darling. Be as loud as you want. Just don't let go."

Tom watches you through the afternoon. Your color began to drain after the last bout of sickness before you left the house. Worry clutched him but you reassured him. He made sure you were hydrated and comfortable and didn't allow you to do anything that he couldn't do. Everyone took notice of how loving and doting he was. Nina couldn't look at you because she felt like an asshole.  
Tom crouches next to your chair. "Darling, you look grey. I'd feel much better off you called Dr. Mizrahi." He takes your hands in his. "Baby, you're ice cold." He presses his hand to your face. "You're clammy. Are you sure you're alright?"  
You shake your head. "Just a little pain in my side." Tom draws you up as he stands.  
"Darling, you're shaking. We're going to the emergency room." You swallow and nod. He leads you a step but you're in more pain than you've let on and you feel extremely weak. You collapse but he catches you. "Christ, (y/n)!"  
Nina and Wade run up. "Tom!"  
Wade pushes around the two of you. "We'll take my squad car. Lights and sirens all the way."  
"What's-"  
"Denise, keep the kids." You start to slip out of consciousness. "Tom, don't let her see the blood." Tom lifts you into his arms and runs to the front of the house. You can feel the sticky on his hands from where he caught you. You can feel the wet fabric of your pants.  
Tom lays you across the back seat of the car then runs around to get in the other side. Wade squeals off before the door is actually shut. Tom pulls your head into his lap. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't want to scare you."  
"Hush, my sweet girl." His fingers tremble as they comb through your hair. You reach up to brush a tear from his cheek and he grabs your hand and kisses the palm.  
You stare at the ceiling. This is all your fault. If you had said something when the pain started, maybe Dr. Mizrahi could have done something to stop the miscarriage. You swallow but that doesn't stop the tears.  
You can hear Tom speaking softly outside in the hall. You turn away from him. Would he hate you now? Would he blame you? They'd given you a unit of blood and sedated you when you became hysterical. Depending on your lab results and another ultrasound, you might go home tomorrow.   
Tom pushes the door open. "Hey, baby." He pulls the chair up next to the bed and sits down. He takes your hand on his. His eyes are red and puffy where he's been crying. "Are you- I mean, do you need anything?"  
You shake your head. He tucks a strand of hair out of your face. "I'm sorry, Tom. This is all my fault."  
He frowns. "Nonsense. You heard the doctor. It was a fluke."  
"But if I had said something-"  
He places his finger against your lips. "I saw you worsening before my eyes. I'm just as much to blame as you are if we are placing blame. But we're not." He swallows and looks down. The pain in his face is almost too much. You look away to openly weep. The bed moves as he climbs into it and lays beside you, curling his body around you as he is want to do, but he is careful of your IV. The two of you cry together, mourning the loss of your son. For he'd always be your son. Tom stays with you until you fall asleep.  
He carefully slips from the bed and quietly leaves the room. Air. He needs air. This time of night, no one is outside the labor and delivery entrance. He sinks down to his knees under the tree. In this moment, he knows Romeo's grief. His heart clenches, as does his fists. Words he's read times before but never felt the meaning. "I DEFY YOU, STARS!" He screams and rages at the concrete, beating his fists until the skin tears. When the rage is gone, the sorrow takes its place. His shoulders shake with sobs. When the tears are spent, he sits up and looks to the night sky.

Nina is there to help you and Tom get home the next day. All your test results had come back normal and you’d been discharged. Not that you notice much. The whole thing is a blur. Yesterday morning you were going to be a mother again. And now it had been snatched from you.   
You slowly dress in the clothes Nina had brought you from home as Tom speaks in the hallway with the nurse about discharge instructions. She stays close to make sure you don’t lose your balance.  
“Honey, listen, I’m so-“  
“Don’t. Not right now, okay?” You cut her off. She purses her lips and nods. She understands now was not the time to say a word. Not even an apology.   
The car ride home is quiet. Tom sits as close to you as he can, wrapping his arms around you and stroking your hair. You try to just be still. The fear of him leaving now is still in your mind. It wasn’t unfounded. You'd lost Henry. His son. Would he forgive you?   
You pick up one of his hands and turn them over. You see the bruises and scrapes, all fresh. He didn’t have those yesterday. What happened? You look up at him and knit your eyebrows together. Before you say a word, he shushes you. “It’s all right,” he whispers. “Everything will be fine.”  
“Where did you get-“  
“It’s all right, darling. Don’t worry about it anymore. Everything will be fine.” You nod and bring his hand to your lips. You silently kiss every wound, and Tom pulls you closer with kisses of his own.   
Nina helps you both inside once you get home, while Tom carries you upstairs to bed. Before walking Nina out, he pulls the covers over you and quietly gathers the couple of baby magazines you’d hidden under the bed away from prying eyes, and drops them into the trash.  
“Tom, I have to confess something and apologize.”  
“What is it?”  
“I…misjudged you a lot when I found out about the baby. I didn’t think you would be around because of your work, and I realize now I was wrong. I just saw her struggle so much with Jimmy, and the last thing I wanted was to watch that again. She’s so close to reaching her goal, and I wouldn’t be able to stand it if this happened to her again.” Tom thinks over her words. It's clear she's embarrassed, and Tom isn’t the type to brush off a sincere apology. “I know she doesn’t really want to talk to anyone right now, but please tell her to call me. Please?”  
“I’ll tell her, Nina. It may be a couple days, but I’m sure she’ll come around. You’ve been friends for so long. I can’t imagine she would stay away for too long.”  
“Thank you.”  
They share a hug before she leaves and Tom climbs the steps back to you. You're right where he left you, curled in a ball waiting for him to get back. He curls around you, pulling you as close as he could.   
“I’m so sorry. I couldn’t keep him, Tom. I’m sorry.”  
“Shh, my love, don’t say those things. It wasn’t your fault. It’s no one’s fault. It was an accident. You had nothing to do with it.”  
“But I couldn’t keep him safe.” You are exhausted still, the effects of the sedatives they’d given you still in your system.  
“It’s all right, (y/n). It wasn’t our fault.” You take some deep breaths to try to calm yourself. This is going to be harder than anything you’d ever done. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise you.” You believed him. And at least, you won’t be going through it alone.  
A few minutes later, you say quietly, “I want my babies.”  
Tom reaches for his phone on the nightstand behind him and dials Jack’s number. You hear him ask Jack to bring the kids back home, and the protests from Jack that maybe now wasn’t the right time.   
“Now is the perfect time. We need them, Jack. Please.”  
“All right, I’ll get their stuff together. We’ll be right over, Tom.”  
As he places his phone back on the nightstand, Tom turns over and kisses your ear. “Jack is coming with our babies, darling.”  
It clicks what he said. “Our babies.” You start to think that maybe things will be okay. Not right now, but they will be.


	16. Chapter 16

Tom sways with you to Sarah Mclachlan 'Ice cream'. He kisses your neck and ear. You smile softly.  
"It is, you know."  
"Oh really?"  
"Mmhmm." He glances at the kids watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. "It's better than chocolate. Better than anything else that I've had."  
The door bell rings and the chorus of trick or treat summons you to the front door. It's unseasonably warm for October in Indiana. Tom groans and stomps to the door. The delightful squeals chorus through the house. You get into character as the Bride of Frankenstein and sidle up to him. "Oh, they're just children. Give them the candy, Frankie." Tom growls and drops candy bags into their treat bags. Jameson runs into the foyer. "Hi Sam!"  
"Hey Jay! Your dad is awesome."  
The little Green Lantern beams at his friend then Tom. "He is!" Tom's grin almost splits his face.  
The guests begin to arrive and the trick or treaters keep coming. You light the 30 pumpkins that line the porch and the steps. "Marie is ready for cake, darling." He wraps his arms around you. "Are you alright?"  
You nod. "Just a little tired and sore."  
"Sit down, baby. Let me take care of everything." You sit with Marie, your very own Maleficent. Jack and Denise, Wade and Nina, Jason and Amy and all her little daycare and dance friends sing gather and sing happy birthday. Tom helps her blow out her candles. After cake, comes presents from the guests. She'd already gotten her presents from you and Tom and Tom's sister, Emma.  
After the last guest leaves, Tom tucks a very sleepy birthday girl into bed. "Daddy, you know what my wish it's?"  
"What is it, my princess?"  
"Dat you and mummy move us to Yondon and we have a big famiwy."  
"Well, my sweetest, I think that is a very good wish."  
"I fought so. Night, daddy."  
"Night, princess."  
Tom stands in the doorway watching you brush out your hair. He had two weeks to spend with you before he had to go home to London.

The next weekend, all the unseasonable warmth comes to a very abrupt end, and the Indiana fall swept in. It settles around your house but doesn’t even come close to coming in and unsettling the warmth you feel. Your family is together again. Not for forever yet, but that day was getting closer and closer. Soon you'll have to tell the kids.  
They're in the middle of a blanket fort with Tom in the den. And despite his best efforts to achieve the “hide” portion of a game of hide-and-seek, he can’t seem to make it happen.  
“Where’s Daddy?” you whisper to Marie as you climb up the stairs, playing along.  
“I dunno, Mummy, he’s hidin’!”  
“We gotta find him. What’s gonna happen if we don’t find him?”  
“Den he never hasta leave and go back to Yondon! He stays wif us!”  
You giggle as Marie quietly stalks around to the far side of the blanket fort. She gasps as she came across Tom’s long legs sticking out the back. Almost as if she's in a cartoon, she exaggerates her tiptoeing to come right beside him. Suddenly, she shrieks and jumps on the back of his thighs.  
“Daddy, I foun’ you!!”  
You collapse in laughter. “Oh no! I’ve been discovered! My secret is out!”  
“You is a bad hider, Daddy! Jameson, I foun’ him!!”  
On cue, Jameson runs up the stairs. “Oh, man! I wanted to find him! Where was he hiding?”  
“I’ll never tell, my boy. It was a perfect spot until May-May just now saw me! Next time I’ll have to hide better, that’s all!”  
“Okay, but now it’s our turn to hide, Tom!”  
“Then go! Run and hide, I’ll give you a head start!”  
Marie and Jameson take off down the stairs like a shot, squealing and laughing. Tom takes the chance to crawl toward you as you lay near the top of the stairs still in stitches. He dips his head, kissing you sweetly.  
“How is my darling love?”  
“Hmm, I’m okay. How is mine?”  
“Faring well, now.” His long fingers play toward your stomach, so used to being there and not yet accustomed to the circumstance, unaware he's even doing it. You stop him. “Darling, I’m so sorry, I didn’t even-“  
“It’s all right, Tom. I would have done it myself eventually.” You both pause, just looking at each other. It's the first time since you’d gotten home from the hospital you’ve both addressed it. And surprisingly, you aren’t hurting so much now. Not that it was okay. But Tom has made it clear from the start of all this that he isn’t going anywhere. That he doesn’t blame you.   
You smile. He brushes the hair off your face.   
“I love you.”  
“I love you too.”  
One final beat of silence passes before you hear Marie giggling from her hiding spot, wherever it is downstairs. It makes both of you laugh.  
“I think someone is waiting for you, baby.”  
“It sounds like it, doesn’t it? Ah, well. I guess I better go find her then, huh?”  
“I think so or we might not find her at all!” You shout the last part. You hear both her and Jameson laugh at the idea.  
“Whatever shall we do if we never find our dear, darling children?”  
“I suppose we’ll have to go to London again without them! Oh, the humanity of it all!”  
You hear two tiny gasps as Tom bounds down the steps to locate them both. With your feet on the steps below you, you sit up and lean forward to rest your chin on your knees. You hear the playful growl as he comes upon Jameson and the squeal when he finds Marie. The sounds fill your whole heart and push out every sad thought you have. There's no time to be worrisome while he's still here, and probably even after he leaves too. Things will be all right.

~*~  
You watch the snow fluttering down. Jason carries out Jameson's suitcase. You double check all the locks and the windows, the lights and the furnace. "You realize this is the first Christmas we won't be spending together. Since you've been alive."  
"I know."  
"I'm glad I'm driving you to the airport in this mess. Instead of you driving yourself."  
"Me too. Is Amy with mom and dad?"  
"Yea." You check the safety belts on Marie and Jameson then slide into the passenger seat. "The doctor says the baby is going to be early the rate we're going."  
You shift in your seat. It's bittersweet talking about Abby's impending birth. You're excited for your neice's arrival, but the miscarriage was only a month and a half ago. The wound doesn't hurt as much but it's still there. It pulses every now and then.  
"Is Tom picking you up from the airport?"  
"No. He's still in LA. Luke is."  
"When will he actually BE in London?"  
"Jesus shit, Jace. Twenty fucking questions." You look out into the falling snow. "His flight leaves tomorrow night."  
You had taken your last final the day before. The kids were out for three weeks. You'd get Christmas and New years in London with Tom. You had already exchanged gifts with your family. You can't help the bubble of excitement that bursts forth as your brother drives you north.

"Mummy, when's daddy coming home?"  
You tuck the blankets up under her chin. "His flight left last night as we got in, so he should be home in the morning." The kids shouted in joy. "Now, you go to sleep. We've a busy day tomorrow. We need to put up the tree. And decorate." You kiss your children one more time. Christmas is only a few days away. The house feels too quiet as you move to the living room. The fire flickers. You sit in 'his' chair, pulling your laptop onto your lap.  
You're very careful of what you tweet but you had to delete your tumblr. You changed your Facebook and it's settings so that only family and friends were in there. You sip your tea as you scroll through tumblr. Pictures from Halloween were still circulating. You loved the one of you and Tom as the Bride of Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Monster. Warmed by the fire and your tea, you doze off.  
A chill causes you to draw up the throw blanket. The fire has died. You think you'd heard the door close as you come fully awake but listening didn't reveal anymore sound. You ash out the fire to choke it then head to bed. As you're pulling the blankets up, the phone rings.  
"Hey you."  
"Hey my sweet girl. How was your flight?"  
"Long. And lonely. How's yours?"  
"Longer and just as lonely. I can't wait to be in your arms." You hear a sound in the other room.  
"Baby, I think I heard something."  
"What? What do you mean?"  
"I think I heard something in the living room."  
"Maybe it was one of the kids."  
"No." You swallow and slip out of bed. "I thought I heard a man's voice."  
"Darling. Don't go out there."  
"I just want to see if there's an intruder. If there is, I'll call the police."  
You tip toe over the hard wood floor until you reach the soft plush rug. Nothing. You can hear Tom breathing on the other end. "You there?"  
"No, I'm here." You whirl around to see him leaning on the circular staircase railing. Your frightened excited squeak chokes off. Tom catches you as you run then jump into his arms. "God I've missed you." You both close your eyes and breathe each other in. His lips brush your hair then your temple, your ear, your cheek and finally your own lips. You sigh and melt into him. The both of you pour every ounce of love and longing into that kiss.  
"I love you, Thomas."  
"I love you, (y/n)."

The next afternoon, after all the trees in London had been examined closely by Jameson and rejected for being too small or not “bushy” enough, you finally find one that meets all his qualifications. Marie is just happy to hang the tinsel. That's always her favorite part.  
You're carefully unwrapping Tom’s ornaments and hanging them in different spots as he holds Marie and helps her.   
“Daddy, dere’s a spot we misseded!”  
“Oh, princess, it seems there is! Let’s get it!” He leans her forward to hang the last bit of the shiny stuff.   
“Momma, that ornament needs to go right there, it’s the perfect size.”  
“Yes, sir!” You smile as you hook it. The scene plays out in front of you like a dream. Your family is together at Christmas. And it feels like it's getting bigger all the time. Sophie and Ben will be coming over later, and Emma and Jack for dinner too.   
“Oh! I just remembered!” Tom sets Marie down. “I have something special for the tree!”  
“What do you have?”  
Tom jogs into the other room and comes back holding a little box. He opens it up and pulls out a new ornament. Marie and Jameson huddle around you on the floor to see what Daddy is pulling out of the box. He kneels down in front of you, holding the ribbon while the bright crystal snowflake shoots light all across the room.   
It's beautiful. “Oh, Tom…it’s gorgeous, I love it!”  
“Do you like it? I had it made for us..all of us.”  
You slip the crystal snowflake from his fingers and examine it closely. Each tine has an engraving, and you soon make out what they were. First, your name at the top then Tom’s. After that is Jameson’s and then Marie’s. And at the bottom is “Henry”.   
Your breath catches in your throat. The tears prick the back of your eyes as you bring your free hand to your mouth. You don’t want to cry, not in front of the kids. You look to Tom, who has an equally pained expression on his face.  
“Is it okay? Do you like it? I can have another one made. it might take a week, but I can-“  
“It’s beautiful. I love it, baby.” And you really do. It's breathtaking. And your son's name will always be on it, as a small token to remember him by.  
You reach up and pull Tom into a sweet kiss. He cups your face and pulls you as close to him as he can, resting your foreheads together as the kiss gently breaks.  
You laugh when you hear Jameson groan. “Momma, you and Tom kiss too much!”  
“No, baby, we don’t kiss enough. And I don’t kiss you enough either!” With that, you pull him in and shower kisses on his face while he laughs.

Dinner is fantastic. You cook up a storm for everyone, and even Marie got in on the action by adding water to everything. Jameson keeps everyone entertained by making up stories before and even during dinner.   
As you and Tom walk everyone out, Sophie and Emma both turn to give you a hug. “It was so lovely to see you again, dear. Please let’s do lunch or coffee before you leave, okay?” Sophie really warmed to you since you’d seen her last, and you were so grateful. Emma had never held back, so there was no more warming up to do there.   
“I would love that, Sophie. Let me know when you’re free.”  
You and Tom put the kids to bed with hardly a fuss. The party wore them flat out. And as you shut their door, you feel Tom’s body press against you from behind. He slides his arms around your waist and kisses your temple, trailing down to you shoulder and collarbone.  
“Hmm, darling…if you knew how much I missed you. You would have kicked everyone out of the house hours ago.”  
“Baby, they were all your friends! Well, mine now too, I suppose.”  
Tom continues his kisses as you carefully step backwards and he follows suit. You lead him down the hallway to your bedroom. As you reached for the handle, Tom finds the soft spot behind your ear that made you go weak.   
“Oh…”  
“That’s it, my darling…let me hear you…” You fling the door open and pull him inside behind you.  
“Shut the door and I’ll tell you everything you want to hear."  
Tom kicks the door shut behind him as he pulls his shirt from his slacks. Your fingers work at the buttons. Your mouths don't leave each other, tongues wrestling. Tom shrugs off the button down then pulls away from you long enough to pull the undershirt over his head. His tongue traces your lips, letting go a moan. He reaches behind you and unzips your dress. It flutters to the floor, leaving you utterly bare before him. His hands glide down your back to press your body against his as he grips your ass and lifts you up.  
"Ohhhhh my darling love, my sweet girl, nothing underneath?" He shudders, growing harder pressed to your belly. "You slay me, love."  
"Tom. Too many words. Too many clothes." He laughs and shoves you back on the bed. He watches your body bounce in all the right places. You prop yourself up on your elbows, bending your knees and placing your feet flat on the bed. His eyes become intense, possessive. He drinks in your body as he slowly unbuckles his belt. He smirks at the way you bite your lip when he unbuttons his slacks and unzips them. His tongue rolls over his own as he grabs his shaft through the slacks and rubs and strokes. Your lips part and your knees fall open.  
Tom shed the slacks and his boxers. He crawled over you, taking your mouth. He positioned himself between your legs.  
A panic bubble breaks the kiss. "Stop!" He startles.  
"What is it, baby?"  
"Condom."  
"But-"  
"Yes, I'm on birth control but please, wear one."  
"Of course." He caresses your cheek then reaches for the nightstand. You rub your face and close your eyes. Tom simply looks at you. You own him. He'll do anything to make you happy. He never expected to find a love so complete and wondrous. He moves over you again, kissing your throat.  
"I've missed you so. These months away kill me."  
"Me too, honey." He moves down to your breasts, kissing the tops.  
"Lay back." He takes your thighs in his arms and spreads you wider, pulling you closer. You lay back on the bed, looking up at him. He presses his cock into so slowly your back bows, the air leaving your lungs. The way he stretches you pulls your nipples tighter. When he fills you, he moves to lay over you, pressing your bodies together. You move together, shaking but never looking away. You can't kiss him enough, whimpering into him. His moans vibrate along your spine. You tighten around him, your pleasure spiraling and spiking. He buries his face in your neck. "Yes, my love. Let me hear you. I've missed it so much." You let go short barking moans with each thrust.  
"Oh. God. Oh fuck."  
"Yes!" He growls and pumps his hips faster. That fucking growl. It does it every time. You fall over the cliff and cum hard around him. He cries out and finds his own.  
He rolls onto his back, pulling you onto his chest. He tosses the condom into the bedside waste basket as he rolls. He brushes your hair from your face and kisses you. He kisses you again. And again. And again. You lay on his chest, breathing hard. "Give me a minute, Tom. I don't have your recovery time." He laughs and lays back, stretching. "Take all the time you need. We're not going anywhere."

You wake up to snow. Only a few more days left til Christmas, and your first London snow blankets the world outside. If you look out the from window, it's already been trodden on. But out the back and behind Tom’s house? It's untouched. You stand in his small kitchen with him, both of you looking out the back door as the flakes continue to fall, one of his arms wrapped tight around you while the other holds a cup of coffee.   
“Do you think they’ll like it?”  
“What do you mean, the snow? Oh, they’ll love it, baby.”  
Tom kisses your temple. He hasn’t shaved yet that morning and his stubble sends a delightful shiver through you. You settle more against him, burrowing the back of your head against his chest. The silence of the moment is so needed. Christmas is always a loud season for you and your kids, and being so far away from home hasn’t lessened their excitement about everything. And now, the snow will surely have them tearing through the house in joy.   
“When do you want to tell the children about their new home?”  
“Very soon. I just want especially Jameson to get through the rest of the year with little to no distraction. Lord knows the boy is a ball of energy already, moving would ramp him up even more.”  
Tom laughs. There's no denying that and he knows it. “Plus we still have to find a school for Marie, too.”  
“I’m so glad you said something, darling. I may have found one. It’s a fantastic school, and they do loads of performing arts, including ballet. And…I’ve even met with the headmaster. And she is nothing like the other one at all.”  
You turn your head to look at Tom. He's unreal sometimes, in the best way.   
“When did you have time to do that? It’s not like you’ve been here, hardly.”  
“Well…I may have roped Luke into helping me a bit.”  
“Aww, poor Luke. One of these days, baby, he’s gonna call in a favor on you and you are NOT going to be able to say ‘no’.” You laugh.  
Tom looks down at you a little sheepishly before planting a kiss right on your smiling lips. “It’ll be worth whatever he asks me, as long as you’re happy.”  
“I’m very happy.”  
Tom hear the shuffle of tiny feet behind him, and he turns to find Jameson rubbing his eyes. “Good morning, son. Look at what we have out back!”  
Jameson looked out the glass door and grinned. “Momma, can we go play? Can we?”  
“Of course, sweetie. We have to have breakfast and get dressed first, though.” You turn around and give Tom one more kiss before sliding over to kiss Jameson good morning.   
“I’m gonna go get your sister up, okay? We’ll all go out together.”  
Tom watches you hustle up the stairs to get Marie up and ready and waits until you were surely out of earshot. “Jameson, I need to ask you a favor.” Tom kneels down beside Jameson’s chair and hushes his deep voice.  
“What is it, Tom? Are you making a surprise for Momma?”  
“As a matter of fact, I am. I have a very important question I need to ask your Mummy…in about a week. And it has to be a total surprise, okay?”  
Jameson nods, excited to help out.  
“First, we need to get her and May out of the house for a couple hours so we can talk about it, man-to-man. Do you think we can do that a little later today?”  
“Yeah! We’ll come up with something to get her out of the house!”  
“But remember, it must be a secret, all right?” Jameson makes a motion to “button” his lip, letting Tom know he understood. If he can pull this off, it will be incredible.

After breakfast, everyone bundles up tight against the cold. There isn't enough snow to build a snow man but it's deep enough to make snow angels. Marie's next to Tom's looks so tiny. You take plenty of pictures of the fun to show family back home, including the aftermath of the snow ball fight. Tom and Jameson pelt you with Marie screaming in giggles. In retaliation, you tackle him and shove his grinning face into the snow.   
He rolls over underneath you and smiles. "You have no idea how lovely you look." He reaches up and plucks tufts of snow out of your hair then caresses your cheek. You turn to kiss his palm. He takes advantage of the moment to roll you onto your back. The kids pounce on you both with arms full of snow.

You sip your wine and stretch by the fire. You have far too many presents to wrap for nearly two in the morning. "How many do we have left?"  
Tom tosses his just finished present under the tree then stood and stretches. "Five a piece."  
"Jesus, Tom. The tree is already overflowing."  
He settles down beside you in front of the fire and wraps his arms around you. You nestle back into him and lay your head on his shoulder in the crook of his neck. "I went overboard. I know. But darling, a family is one of my greatest desires. And you've given me that." He plays with your hair. "I couldn't help myself."  
"Like the giant castle play house in my back yard you just HAD to get May may?"  
"Exactly like that." He laughs then kisseds your forehead. The wine, the fire, Tom pressed against your back, they all combine to lull you into a doze. Tom lets you sleep, gently taking the wine glass from your fingers. He finishes it. He's always known what to say except with women. He's always been a bit shy. Meeting you had been the exception. Even with what happened to the baby, this had been the happiest seven months of his life.  
Sleep tugs at him. "Baby. Wake up. We need to finish wrapping presents and get to bed." His lips on your neck rouse you awake, in more ways than one. With a sigh, you arch your back to stretch and push your ass into his crotch. He sighs and brings up his hands up, one to cup your breast, the other to turn your chin. He brushes his lips against yours. You part them to trace his lips with your tongue. You moan together. "The presents can wait."

You hear giggling whispers at the foot of the bed but you refuse to open your eyes. Instead, you snuggle deeper into Tom's chest. His arms tighten around you. "We hear you down there."  
"Shut up, Tom and maybe they'll go away." His sleep deepened laughter bounces your head on his chest and makes you smile.  
Jameson helps Marie onto the bed then climbs up himself. They begin jumping on the bed.  
"Momma!"  
"Mummy!"  
"Daddy!"  
"Tom!"  
"Presents under the tree!" They say the last in the unison but Marie's sound more like "Pwesnts unner twee!"

A myriad of conversations jumble together. You stand in a quiet hallway, hugging your arms to your chest. Tears sting your eyes. You try to be happy. It's your neice afterall. Amy and Jason had tried for years.  
"There you are. Thomas is looking for you." You sniff and wipe your eyes discretely.  
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Hiddleston. I just needed a moment."  
She raises an eyebrow, regarding you carefully. "Are you alright?"  
"Fine. I'm fine." You wipe a rogue tear then turne to face her.  
"You're a terrible liar. Just like my son."  
You swallow and breathe deeply. "My neice was born today." Her mouth forms a soft 'o'. "It just makes Henry's loss more evident."  
"You and Thomas named the baby."  
"He told you."  
"Not everything." You hold onto the window sill. "He told me that you were pregnant. And that you'd lost it."  
This is not really the conversation you want to have with his mother on Christmas. "I had horrific morning sickness. I tore the placenta that morning and didn't know. Tom practically waited on me hand and foot because I didn't feel well and I'd had light cramping. By the time, we noticed how bad it was, it was too far gone." You swallow back the tears.  
"I can't imagine. I was lucky enough to never have to suffer the loss of a child. I do worry. I worry about all my children, especially Tom." You nod. "I had my misgivings about you, but I've never seen him this happy other than when he's acting." A knot you didn't know you had loosens. "But know this, sweetie, if you hurt him, I'll destroy you."  
You fight the smile that curls your lips. "I can accept that."  
"Come now. Let's get back to the family before they come looking for us both." She squeezes both your upper arms then hooks her elbow into yours.  
Tom looks up from his conversation with Jack and frowns. You smile and nod. The smile that breaks apart his frown nearly breaks your heart. His mother looks between you two. Though she still isn't behind your relationship 100%, there is no denying you loved each other very much.  
~*~  
The house quietly welcomes them home from Tom's family's holiday celebration. You carry Marie to her bed. Laying her down, you take her shoes and coat off before tucking her in. Tom helps Jameson with his coat and shoes as the boy sleepily sways back and forth. Your phone takes that moment to ring. You glance at the display. "Hey, Wade. Is everything OK?"  
"Every thing is fine, babe. Jimmy finally decided he wanted to wish his son a Merry Christmas."  
"He's right here." You crouch down in front of him and hand him the phone. "Jay, it's your daddy." He perks up and smiles.  
"Hi, daddy." You glance up at Tom. He won't say anything but hurt is there. You see it. "Merry Christmas to you, too. I miss you." You make sure he's still smiling then keep an eye on Tom, who looks as if your little boy had kicked him in the gut. "No, mommy can't bring me up. Daddy, we're in London. With Tom." Jimmy yells so loud you hear it. "No he's not hurting us. Or mommy. He's a really great guy. You shouldn't say things like that." You hear the next loud and clear. Tom stands at your back like a reckoning.  
"You don't tell me how to talk, you fucking little mistake. Put your goddamn mom on the phone." You recover long enough to take the phone.  
"I hope they give you chair, you piece of shit. Don't ever talk to my son like that. You don't get right to do that. Don't ever call us again. So help me, Jamestown." You end the call but the tears have already started. "Oh baby." You sit back on the floor and pull him into your lap. He cries and squeezes you tightly. Tom sits next to you and rubs his back. "You are not a mistake. Look at me." He shakes his head and squeezes you tighter. "Jameson Wayne, look at me." He sniffs and looks up. You lift his chin. "You are not a mistake. You saved me. You're a hero." You comb your fingers through his hair.  
"Your mum is right. I have you to thank for all my happiness. You're my hero." Tom ruffle his hair then kiss his head. "I'll leave you two alone." He kisses your temple before he excuses himself and left the room.  
"Jameson."  
"Yes, momma."  
"Jimmy is a mean unhappy bully. Don't believe anything he says. You understand me?" He nods. "I love you. And you are not a mistake. You understand me?" He nods. "Get into your pajamas and come down to Tom's room."  
You shrug your coat off and hang it up in the hall. Tom is already changed into pajama bottoms. You change into a soft Loki tee and black yoga pants. "I love you, darling." He pulls you into his arms and presses his cheek to your hair. "I'm so sorry that happened."  
You bury your face in his chest to breathe him in deep. "I love you too." Jameson pads in silently. You pull away from Tom and three of you crawl into bed. You wrap yourself around Jameson on one side, Tom on the other. His fingers trace patterns on your back. You smile at him over your son's head. You like that you didn't have to or need to explain to him the night's sleeping arrangements, why they were needed or wanted. He just did it. You lace your fingers with his up under the pillows. You simply look in each other's eyes until one by one you fall asleep.

Jameson isn’t ready to get out of bed just yet. It isn’t just the tiredness from the last couple days, either. The phone call last night hit him hard, too hard for a five-year old. Tom slips out of bed to check on Marie after a kiss to the top of his head and his cheek, while he clings to you.  
“Momma?”  
“Yes, baby?”  
“I don’t want to call him Daddy anymore. He doesn’t deserve it. He’s not nice to you or May-May, and I don’t like that.”  
You smile in spite of yourself. You don’t necessarily enjoy your son bad-mouthing his father, but you realize it's only because Jimmy’s parents are so good. But that isn’t enough. And besides, they’d still be his grandparents even if Jameson doesn’t call Jimmy “dad”. It's just a word at this point.  
“Okay, baby. You don’t have to if you don’t want to."  
Tom pads into the room a few minutes later with Marie tucks in his arms, her sleepy head resting on his shoulder. He tips her onto the bed gently and she crawls up beside Jameson.  
“Jay, how come you didn’t sweep in your bed wast night? I misseded you.”  
“I missed you too, May-May. But I needed to be with Momma and Tom. Momma was upset at something and I needed to stay with her to make her feel better.”  
“You is such a good brudder, Jay,” Marie praises him as she wraps her small arms around his neck for a hug. Jameson hugs her back. You think your heart will burst as the scene unfolds.   
Tom slides back into the bed behind the kids and reaches an arm around to stroke your arm.   
“Jameson, what do you say we take a visit to that park we saw last time you were here?”  
“Yeah, that sounds like fun.”  
“Baby, it’s gonna be freezing!” He isn’t deterred.  
“Momma, it’ll be fine! I have my new gloves I get yesterday, remember? And my cool Captain America hat!” You roll your eyes with a laugh.   
“Please darling? He loved that park, it would be such a good time. Especially with all the other children out for Christmas.” He leans into your ear and whispers, “Plus, these are all the children he’ll be neighbors with in a few months. It would be good to make some friends, yeah?”  
You sigh. He hit you with the “friends for your kids” card. How could you say no now?  
“Fine. Me and Marie will stay inside in the warmth and drink hot chocolate and play with our presents, won’t we, May-May?”  
“Yeah! I got so many toys, Mummy! Let’s go play!”  
Marie carefully dismounts from the high bed and skips in the direction of her bedroom. Jameson follows to change into his play clothes and heavy coat, while you and Tom fall back into the pillows.  
“Hot chocolate, huh?”  
“Yeup. I found the good stuff at a shop around the corner the other day.”  
“Mmm, promise to save me a cup?”  
“Sure…as long as you bring my son back with ten fingers and ten toes.”  
“On my honor, darling. All ten fingers and toes.”  
“And then you can have all the hot chocolate you want.”  
“Hmm, what if I’d rather have you instead?” Tom growls as he lowers his lips onto yours. You giggle into the kiss and cup his cheeks.   
“I think you’d have a very unhappy boy on your hands if you make him wait anymore.”  
Tom laughs now. “I think you’re right. Later, then.”  
“You better dress warmly, it’s supposed to be good and cold out there today.”  
“Tom! I’m ready!!”  
“You haven’t even had breakfast or brushed your teeth yet, young man!”  
“Oh, don’t worry about that, darling. We’ll get breakfast at the little cafe around the corner. Something good and sugary to rot his teeth right out of his head!” Tom hops out of bed and starts getting dressed. You flop back onto your pillow with an exaggerated groan.  
“You’re gonna ruin my son!”  
Tom throws his head back and laughs and then appears above you in bed. “But to be fair…all of you have ruined me.”  
You smile up at him. “I love you.”  
“I love you.”  
“Now go keep my son warm and rot his teeth.”  
“Yes, ma’am."  
Later that day, Tom is sound asleep on the couch, snoring softly. You and the kids are snuggled on some pillows on the floor, talking and watching the flickering flames of the fireplace. Jameson is very quiet for a while now. Marie takes Jameson's face in her little hands and turns him to look at her.  
"Watsa madder Jay? You sad?" Marie looks very concerned.  
"No Marie, I was just trying to figure something out"  
"Well what Jay? What is you finking about?  
"It's about Tom."  
"Daddy?"  
"Yes Marie, Daddy. Well, that's what I'm thinking about. I feel funny calling Tom daddy already. But I think he is just like a daddy to me. And I want to tell him but I'm kind of scared to"  
You sit and listen to your two children talk, tears brimming in your eyes, threatening to spill over. You feel your heart is about to burst!   
"Mommy, what sood Jay do? What do you fink?"  
Silently, you pull Jameson into a hug, and then Marie stands up and throws her arms around both your necks. You hug it out for a while, until the giggling starts and then you break apart.  
"Mom, could you help me write Tom a letter to tell him what I said?"  
"Of course sweetie, let's get some paper right now." The three of you sit at the kitchen table and Jameson gets some paper from his desk, along with a pencil.  
"Mummy, I wanna make Daddy a ledder too!"  
"OK Marie baby, why don't you draw Daddy a beautiful picture?"  
Jameson starts on his letter, stopping often to ask you for help spelling words. With knitted eyebrows and a child's innocence, he pours his heart into every line. Finally, he sits back, rubbing his sore index finger and says he was done. You read the letter out loud back to Jameson, who has a shy smile on his face.  
"Yes mummy. It's good. Now I'm going to give it to him."  
Jameson gets up from his chair, and quietly tiptoes over to where Tom sleeps. Gently, he tucks the folded letter into Tom's loosely held fist then briskly turns around and runs back to his chair. It's quite comical, causing Marie to have a fit of the giggles. Then they all giggle, trying to stifle your laughter. Tom stirs, opens one eye and stretches.  
"What is so funny? What did I miss?" Bringing his hand up to cover his yawn, he looks surprised to see the paper in his hand.

You look up from the book as Tom steps back into the room. You blink then slowly lick your lips. "That's your OLLA Cannes suit." He tugs on his cuffs and raises an eyebrow, tilting his head to look up at you from under his brow. "Oh don't know dare look at me like that, Thomas William."  
He bursts out laughing. "Oh poppet, your not my mum so middle names don't work on me."  
You cross your arms over your chest. It pushes your breasts together and up. You press your thighs together, feeling need throb. "You better leave it on long enough for me to take it off you."  
"So you want me to wear it all day?"  
"Is that a problem?" It's your turn to tilt your head and look up at him. He clears his throat at way you lick your lips.  
"No problem at all, my love." He leans down takes your chin between his thumb and forefinger. "You wear those blue knickers you picked up at that shop the other day. And the silver heels."  
Your lips part. "Yes." His lips brush yours before his tongue sneaks in between them. An impatient little boy clears his throat from the doorway.  
"Momma, Tom, will two please stop kissing long enough for us to go to lunch?"  
Tom grins against your lips as you giggle. "My apologies, Jameson. Are you ready, mate?"  
"Yep! I mean, yes." Jameson tugs on the front of his suit jacket.  
"You look handsome, baby. Are you excited?" He beams and nods. "Was May may still sleeping?"  
"Yea." He tugs on his coat. Marie had gotten sick and you'd been forced to cancel your plans with Emma.  
Jameson watches Tom and copies everything he does. He watches Ben and Luke as well, adapting their mannerisms to ones he picked up from Tom. He didn't say much until he slid back into the passenger seat.  
"Jay, your mother will be very proud to hear how well behaved you were. Ben even remarked on it." Jameson smiles and looks down at his hands.  
"Tom, can we talk?"  
"Of course, son."  
Jameson takes a deep breath and exhales. "You're a good guy. I see how happy you make momma. You're a good dad to Marie too." He looks Tom square in the face. "I don't want to be like Jimmy. I want to be like you. Will you teach me how to be a man like you?" Tom blinks. "You know, like a dad would."  
Tom's face nearly breaks with his grin. "Of course, Jameson!"  
"I'm not - I'm not ready to call you dad yet like I said in the letter. I know May-may does but-"  
Tom holds up his hand. "Say no more. Whenever you want to, if ever. That was the extent of the letter you wrote me last night."  
"Yea but I wanted to tell you." Tom leans over and hugs Jameson tightly. Your son hugs him back just as tight. Tom starts the car and heads back to the house.  
Marie wakes up long enough to snuggle Tom then go back to bed. Jameson joins her shortly after. Tom sighs heavily as he walks barefoot into the room. He pulls up short, taking the sight of you in. You kneel on his bed in the blue lacey tanga panties, sitting back on your silvery heels. The locket, his first present to you, rests between your bare breasts.  
Tom crosses to the bed, evidence of your effect on him straining against the zipper of his suit pants. You crawl to the end on the bed then kneel up again.  
"Oh my sweet girl."  
"Hush, love." You slowly unbutton each of his shirt buttons then open his shirt. You push the shirt and blazer off his shoulders. He lets them drop then tugs the undershirt overhis head. You glide your palms over his abdomen and pectorals, running your thumbnails over his nipples. He snatches your wrists to get your attention. You look up at him. Something about your kneeling position, both your wrists captured in his. His mouth crushes yours, forcing it open. You whimper and melt into him. He leans you back on the bed. You bend until you have to move your knees. He presses your hands to the mattress above your head. You arch your body up to him.  
"I like you like this." His lips move against yours with his words. He kisses down your jaw, grinding his now hard cock into your moistening softness. He didn't want to let go but he needed to be inside you. He hurriedly sheds his trousers then pins your wrists again. He needn't have worried. You didn't move your arms.  
"Baby." Your voice is stern when he poises to enter you. "Condom."  
His thumbs rub your forearms. "Are you sure?"  
You nod. "I'm not ready for another pregnancy. Let's get school done and the kids and I here. Then we'll worry about expanding."  
He presses his forehead to yours. "Alright." He moves away from you to get the condom. "Grab the head board, love." You do. Tom pushes your right leg open wide and down to the mattress. Your left, he presses to his shoulder. With a few short thrusts, he's fully seated. He turns his head to the side, drawing your big toe into his mouth. You gasp. He takes that moment to thumb your clit. You groan. Your bodies rock together. He rolls the both of you so he's on his back. His hands find your hips and yours the heels of your silver high heels. The pair of you groan and cry, your bodies riding the rhythm until it reaches a crescendo of cries and nail marks, on his chest and down your back. The two of you fall asleep tangled in sheets with your head on his chest, his arms around you.

New Year's Eve ends a week of snow fights, hot chocolate, wine, cartoon watching and making love. The kids went to bed early. You settle into the couch to watch the festivities on the TV.  
"Darling, would you come here for a moment?"  
"Hurry, Thomas. We've got about fifteen minutes before midnight."  
"Then hurry up, poppet."  
You slide off the couch and head toward his voice. "Where are you at?"  
"Out back." You slip out the sliding glass door, closing it after making sure it wasn't locked. You rub your arms as you look around. "Up here." He grins down a ladder.  
"Baby, what on earth?" He offers you his hand. Being slightly afraid of heights, you gingerly climb the ladder, latching onto his hand with a death grip. "It's freezing, Tom. Let's-" He steps to the side to reveal a pile of blankets, a glowing space heater, a bottle of wine and two glasses. You hear music playing softly. Norah Jones 'Come away with me'.  
"Dance with me?" He pulls you into his arms, tucking your joined hands against his chest so he can kiss your knuckles. You sway back and forth in a circle. "Do you know the moment I fell in love with you?"  
Shivers race through you, not just from the cold. "No?"  
He leans his head against yours. "We were on the bed of your truck. Making love on the blanket, under the stars to the frog song and crickets. You had moonlight and stars on your eyes. And the way you said my name. On gasp with a squeak at the end. You were so open and pure. You had no pretense, no guile. You gave me your body and yourself."  
"We woke up with dew on our skin, sun in our eyes and mosquito bites in embarrassing places."  
"Darling, like the song says. Come away with me." You look up at him as he dangles the most gorgeous diamond ring you've ever seen from a ribbon. "Marry me."  
"Tom, I-" He swings the ring back and forth in front of your nose, still grinning. "Y-yes?"  
"Yes."  
"Yes!"  
"Yes!" He slides the ring on your finger then spins you around. The both of you fall into the pile of blankets, Tom on top. The fireworks light up the sky. "I love you. So much."  
"I love you, Thomas." The last nine months have been full of surreal moments and laughter and love with this man. You can't wait to spend the rest of your life with this man.

The end?


End file.
